The October issue of Total Politics magazine contains an article by Byron Criddle of The Almanac of British Politics. He calculates that the proportion of privately-educated Conservative MPs will fall to 52% next year if 326 Tory MPs are elected. That figure compares to a parliamentary Conservative Party that was 70% privately-educated in 1983, the year of Margaret Thatcher's landslide victory. The proportion has been 60% during this parliament.
Total Politics also reports that 16% of Labour MPs will be privately-educated.
Mr Criddle also reports that Oxbridge-educated Conservative MPs will form 33% of the parliamentary party; down from 43% in 2005.
5% (16) of the MPs will be Old Etonians, compared to 10% (32) in 1992.
ConservativeHome's own survey of the 200 Tory candidates in already held and target seats produced the following results:
The percentages do not add up to 100% as some candidates attended a variety of different schools.
Tim Montgomerie
