{"analytics_identifier":null,"base_path":"/government/news/government-announces-new-commissioner-and-interim-chair-to-the-social-mobility-commission","content_id":"c1417b37-07ce-4fec-a179-1a6d3eb93d33","description":"Baroness Alison Garnham appointed as Commissioner and Interim Chair of the Social Mobility Commission (SMC) and external advisor to the new Class Unit.","details":{"attachments":[],"body":"<div class=\"govspeak\"><ul>\n  <li>Baroness Alison Garnham appointed as Commissioner to the Social Mobility Commission (SMC)</li>\n  <li>Baroness Garnham will also serve as Interim Chair while a new chair is selected</li>\n  <li>The government’s new Class Unit will have a renewed focus on reducing class inequalities and stamping out child poverty </li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The Minister for Women and Equalities, Bridget Phillipson, has announced Baroness Alison Garnham as the new commissioner and interim chair to the SMC.</p>\n\n<p>Last month, the Minister for Women and Equalities announced a drive to improve the life chances of working class people, reduce inequalities faced by lower-income families and open up opportunities through the <a href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/news/time-to-end-class-squeamishness-first-government-unit-to-improve-life-chances-for-working-class\">creation of a Class Unit</a>.</p>\n\n<p>Baroness Garnham will ensure SMC is fulfilling its legal duty until its closure and use her lifetime of expertise as an external advisor to the Class Unit.</p>\n\n<p>The new unit will bring tackling the causes of deprivation to the forefront of the government agenda, sitting alongside other equality units on race, women, LGBT+ and disability.</p>\n\n<p>Minister for Women and Equalities, Bridget Phillipson said:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n  <p>Tackling the deep rooted inequalities faced by working class families is crucial. From education to health care, your background should not dictate your opportunities.</p>\n\n  <p>Our Class Unit will ensure the Commission’s purpose continues right at the heart of government, with ministers rightly accountable for driving action and delivering real change to people’s lives.</p>\n\n  <p class=\"last-child\">I want to thank Alun Francis for his commitment to this agenda over the past 5 years, and look forward to working with Alison with her wealth of experience and expertise, as the SMC goes through this transitional period.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Alison Garnham is currently the Chief Executive of the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and a life peer in the House of Lords. She previously served as CEO of the Daycare Trust and the Director of Policy at One Parent Families (now Gingerbread).</p>\n\n<p>The current chair, Alun Francis, ended his term on 31 October 2026. The government is grateful for the work he and the board of commissioners have completed.</p>\n\n<h2 id=\"notes-to-editors\">Notes to editors </h2>\n\n<p>Once the government announces the preferred candidate for the permanent role of chair, the candidate will be subject to a pre-appointment hearing from the Women and Equalities Committee.</p>\n\n<p>Alison Garnham was announced as a Labour life peer in the House of Lords in 2026, an elected Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, and spent 9 years on the Social Security Advisory Committee.</p>\n\n<p>The Social Mobility Commission is an independent non-departmental public body. It is sponsored by the <a href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-for-equality-and-opportunity\">OEO</a> in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.</p>\n\n<p>Read more about the <a href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/news/time-to-end-class-squeamishness-first-government-unit-to-improve-life-chances-for-working-class\">closure of the Social Mobility Commission</a>.</p>\n</div>","change_history":[{"note":"First 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