The Conversation Podcast Series Examines Class in British Politics

Even in the 21st century, social class is a part of being British. We talk of living in a post-class era but, in reality, our backgrounds affect our life chances and even just the way we interact with each other. We have a sense of our own class and make assumptions about others with class in the back of our minds.

In a recent documentary about their rise to fame, David and Victoria Beckham squabbled about the latter’s claim to come from a working class family. She was derided across the internet for the claim, too.

Is Victoria Beckham working class? You may scoff at the very thought. But then consider when she stopped being working class and you start to see the problem. If a wealthy British person who owns her own business is not working class, when did she cease to be so? Are her parents still working class if she is not?

For much of the 20th century, class identities were clearer. There was also a strong, clear relationship between class and political preference. After all, one of the two main parties was established explicitly to represent the labour movement. It was loudly and proudly a political manifestation of the working class.

There were of course exceptions but, by and large, if someone knew your class, they could make a fairly safe guess as to how you would vote. That is no longer true.

This is what I’m exploring in a new podcast series Know your place: what happened to class in British politics on The Conversation Documentaries.

Over the course of five episodes, I’ll be speaking to leading politics experts across the UK to find out why Labour can no longer take the working class vote for granted but also why the Conservatives can’t either.

We’ll find out the truth behind the Liberal Democrats’ “Gail’s strategy” to capture the middle classes. We’ll explore how class is even defined in the 21st century and pinpoint when it stopped being the case that your background shaped your politics.

And as the UK ushers in ostensibly the most working-class parliament that has been seen in years, we’ll investigate what difference it makes when people from working-class backgrounds hold the levers of power.

Follow The Conversation Documentaries to listen to Know Your Place: what happened to class in British politics from October 7; links to the latest episodes will appear below. The series is produced and mixed by Anouk Millet for The Conversation. It’s supported by the National Centre for Social Research.

The Conversation Documentaries, formerly called The Anthill, is the home for in-depth documentary podcast series from The Conversation. Listen to The Conversation Documentaries via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via its RSS feed or find out how else to listen here.