Labour: private schoolboys list

It is commented upon very often by Labour supporters and even the Prime Minister himself that many of the Conservatives are public schoolboys or schoolgirls. They are: I don’t dispute it, but it isn’t something that causes me to break into a cold envious sweat.

I would like to clear up a misconception, though, that Labour candidates and MPs are all working class products of state schools. I will go through some of the more well known ones that went to a private school, Oxbridge, or both. Note that unlike students today, none of these bastards people paid anything for their university educations, even those such as Yvette Cooper that went on to do second and third degrees.

Thanks must go to Working Class Tory, whose list from back in December I have shamelessly nicked. You might also be interested in his list – in addition to the ones I am about to mention – of those Labour MPs that went to grammar schools.

• Tony Blair
  Went to: Fettes College Edinburgh, St. John’s College Oxford
  And is: Former Prime Minister, war criminal
• Harriet Harman
  Went to: St Paul’s Girls School, University of York
  And is: Leader of the House of Commons, Lord Privy Seal and Minister for Women and Equality
• Ed Balls
  Went to: Nottingham High School, Keble College Oxford, Harvard University
  And is: Schools Secretary
• Yvette Cooper
  Went to: Eggar’s School, Alton College, Balliol College Oxford, Harvard University, London School of Economics
  And is: Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
• Ruth Kelly
  Went to: Westminster School (has the highest Oxbridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in the world), Queens College Oxford, London School of Economics
  And is: Former Secretary of State for Transport, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Minister for Women and Equality and Secretary of State for Education and Skills
• Stephen Byers
  Went to: Chester Grammar School, Liverpool John Moores
  And is: Former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, and Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions
• Barry Gardiner
  Went to: High School of Glasgow, Haileybury and Imperial Service College, University of St Andrews, Harvard University, Corpus Christi College Cambridge
  And is: MP for Brent North
• Geoff Hoon
  Went to: Nottingham High School, Jesus College Cambridge
  And is: Former Defence Secretary, Transport Secretary, Leader of the House of Commons and Labour Party Chief Whip
• Quentin Davies
  Went to: Dragon School, Leighton Park School, Gonville and Caius College Cambridge, Harvard University
  And is: Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defence responsible for Defence Equipment and Support
• David Miliband
  Went to: Haverstock Comprehensive School, Corpus Christi College Oxford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
  And is: Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
• Ed Miliband
  Went to: Haverstock Comprehensive School, Corpus Christi College Oxford, London School of Economics
  And is: Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
• Chris Bryant
  Went to: Cheltenham College, Mansfield College Oxford
  And is: Minister of State for Europe and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
• Gordon Marsden
  Went to: Stockport Grammar School, New College Oxford, Warburg Institute, Harvard University
  And is: MP for Blackpool South
• Mark Fisher
  Went to: Eton College, Trinity College Cambridge
  And is: MP for Stoke Central, former Minister for the Arts
  
• Margaret Hodge
  Went to: Bromley High School, Oxford High School, London School of Economics
  And is: Former Minister for Children, current Minister of State for Culture and Tourism
• John Whitaker (aka Jack) Straw
  Went to: Brentwood School (£3.5k a term boarding), University of Leeds
  And is: Former Home Secretary, current Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
• John Denham
  Went to: Woodroffe Comprehensive School (was a grammar school when he went to it), University of Southampton
  And is: Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
• Hilary Benn
  Went to: Norland Place School, Westminster Under School, Holland Park School (“socialist Eton”), University of Sussex
  And is: Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
• Alistair Darling
  Went to: Loretto School, University of Aberdeen
  And is: Chancellor of the Exchequer
• Charles Clarke
  Went to: Sir Roger Cholmeley’s School at Highgate, King’s College Cambridge
  And is: Former Home Secretary
• Peter Hain
  Went to: Pretoria Boys High School, Emanuel School, Queen Mary College (University of London)
  And is: Former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Secretary of State for Wales
• James Purnell
  Went to: Royal Grammar School, Balliol College Oxford
  And is: Former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. Resigned in 2009
• Keith Vaz
  Went to: Latymer Upper School, Gonville and Caius College Cambridge
  And is: Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee
• Hugh Bayley
  Went to: Haileybury and Imperial Service College, University of Bristol, University of York
  And is: MP for York
• Shaun Woodward
  Went to: Bristol Grammar School, Jesus College Cambridge, Harvard University
  And is: Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
  
• Bob Blizzard
  Went to: Culford School, University of Birmingham
  And is: Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury and Deputy Regional Minister for the East of England
• Jim Cousins
  Went to: City of London School, New College Oxford, London School of Economics
  And is: MP for Newcastle
• Ann Clwyd
  Went to: Holywell Grammar School (now Holywell High School), Queen’s School in Chester, University College of Wales in Bangor
  And is: MP for Cynon Valley
• Louise Ellman
  Went to: Manchester High School for Girls, University of Hull, University of York
  And is: MP for Liverpool, Chair of the Transport Select Committee
• Natascha Engel
  Went to: Kent College, King’s School Canterbury, King’s College London, University of Westminster
  And is: MP for North East Derbyshire
• Tessa Jowell
  Went to: St Margaret’s School for Girls in Aberdeen, University of Aberdeen, University of Edinburgh, Goldsmiths College (University of London)
  And is: Minister for the Olympics, Minister for the Cabinet Office, Minister for London and the Paymaster General
• Linda Gilroy
  Went to: Maynards Girls’ School in Exeter, Stirling High School, University of Edinburgh, University of Strathclyde
  And is: MP for Plymouth Sutton
• Paul Goggins
  Went to: St. Bede’s College, Ushaw College, Birmingham Polytechnic
  And is: Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office
• Patrick Hall
  Went to: Bedford Modern School, University of Birmingham, Oxford Polytechnic
  And is: MP for Bedford and Kempston
• Fabian Hamilton
  Went to: Brentwood School, University of York
  And is: MP for Leeds North East
• John Healey
  Went to: Lady Lumley’s Comprehensive School, St Peter’s School in York, Christ’s College Cambridge
  And is: Minister of State for Local Government
• Rosie Winterton
  Went to: St. Mary’s (now Hill House School, Doncaster), Danum Grammar School for Girls (later called Danum School, now called Danum School Technology College), University of Hull
  And is: Minister of State for Regional Economic Development and Co-ordination
• Lindsay Hoyle
  Went to: Anderton County Primary School, Lord’s College (Bolton), Horwich FE College
  And is: MP for Chorley
• Sally Keeble
  Went to: Cheltenham Ladies’ College, St Hugh’s College Oxford
  And is: MP for Northampton North
• Jim Knight
  Went to: Eltham College, Fitzwilliam College Cambridge
  And is: Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform, Minister for the South West
• Ivan Lewis
  Went to: William Hulme Grammar School, Stand Sixth Form College (former Stand Grammar School, now closed), Bury College
  And is: Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, responsible for the Middle East, Counter Terrorism, Counter Proliferation, South East Asia and Far East, North America, Drugs and International Crime and Migration.
• Martin Linton
  Went to: Christ’s Hospital in Horsham, Sussex; Pembroke College, Oxford
  And is: MP for Battersea
• Ian Lucas
  Went to: Newcastle Royal Grammar School, New College Oxford
  And is: Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Business and Regulatory Reform
• Denis MacShane
  Went to: St. Benedict’s School Ealing, Merton College Oxford, University of London
  And is: MP for Rotherham, Former Europe Minister
• Fiona Mactaggart
  Went to: Cheltenham Ladies’ College, King’s College London, Institute of Education Bloomsbury, Goldsmith’s (University of London)
  And is: MP for Slough
• Judy Mallaber
  Went to: North London Collegiate School, St. Anne’s College Oxford
  And is: MP for Amber Valley
  
• John Mann
  Went to: Bradford Grammar School, Manchester University
  And is: MP for Bassetlaw
  
• Rob Marris
  Went to: Birchfield Preparatory School, St. Edward’s School Oxford, University of British Columbia
  And is: MP for Wolverhampton South
  
• Bob Marshall-Andrews
  Went to: Mill Hill School, Bristol University
  And is: MP for Medway
  
• Michael Meacher
  Went to: Berkhamsted School, New College Oxford, London School of Economics
  And is: MP for Oldham West and Royton
  
• Chris Mole
  Went to: Dulwich College, University of Kent
  And is: Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport
• Julie Morgan
  Went to: Howell’s School Llandaff, King’s College London, University of Manchester, University College Cardiff
  And is: MP for Cardiff North
  
• Doug Naysmith
  Went to: George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh, University of Edinburgh, Yale University
  And is: MP for Bristol North West
  
• Nick Palmer
  Went to: International Schools in Copenhagen and Vienna, Copenhagen University, Birkbeck College (University of London), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
  And is: MP for Broxtowe
  
• Gordon Prentice
  Went to: George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh, University of Glasgow
  And is: MP for Pendle
  
• Nick Raynsford
  Went to: Repton School, Sidney Sussex College Cambridge, Chelsea School of Art
  And is: MP for Greenwich and Woolwich
  
• Geoffrey Robinson
  Went to: Emanuel School, Clare College Cambridge, Yale University
  And is: MP for Coventry North West
  
• Andrew Slaughter
  Went to: Latymer Upper School, University of Exeter
  And is: MP for Ealing, Acton and Shepherd’s Bush
  
• John Spellar
  Went to: Dulwich College, St. Edmund Hall Oxford
  And is: MP for Warley
  
• Phyllis Starkey
  Went to: Perse School for Girls, Lady Margaret Hall Oxford
  And is: MP for Milton Keynes South West
  
• Howard Stoate
  Went to: Kingston Grammar School, King’s College London
  And is: MP for Dartford
  
• Gavin Strang
  Went to: Morrison’s Academy in Crieff, University of Edinburgh, Churchill College Cambridge, University of Edinburgh (again)
  And is: MP for Edinburgh East
  
• Mark Todd
  Went to: Sherborne School Dorset, Emmanuel College Cambridge
  And is: MP for South Derbyshire
  
• Kitty Ussher
  Went to: St. Paul’s Girls’ School, Balliol College Oxford, Birkbeck College London
  And is: MP for Burnley, former Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
• Malcolm Wicks
  Went to: Elizabeth College Guernsey, North West London Polytechnic, London School of Economics
  And is: MP for Croydon North
  
• Michael Wills
  Went to: Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School, Clare College Cambridge
  And is: MP for Swindon North, Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice