Inequality has been debated in British politics for decades, often with a reluctance to address class issues. Bridget Phillipson, the minister for women and equalities, thinks this needs to change. Announcing the government’s new class unit, she argued that Britain has been “squeamish about class for too long”.

Class has, of course, never disappeared from the policy agenda. But in recent decades it has largely been addressed through the language of social mobility: how do we help talented people from disadvantaged backgrounds climb the ladder?

Much of this work has been channelled through the Social Mobility Commission, an independent statutory advisory body that monitors social mobility and reports to parliament. The commission has produced some excellent research. However, a key weakness has been that while it can research, monitor and advise, it cannot compel government to act.

The government now plans to abolish it and bring this work into the Office for Equality and Opportunity. The new class unit will focus on low-income families and disadvantaged communities, including inequalities in public services, health and employment, and help implement the socioeconomic duty requiring public bodies to consider disadvantage in major decisions.

There are good reasons to welcome this.

Much of the wider equality and diversity agenda has become organised around identities such as race, gender, disability and sexuality. These inequalities matter enormously. But the emphasis has often been, in political theorist Nancy Fraser’s words, on recognition – representation, voice and status – rather than redistribution of material........

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