Social divide between richest and poorest is growing, report warns

The gap between the richest and poorest in society is growing, a major report has warned.

A growing split based on income and class means Britain "does not provide a level playing field on which people can aspire to succeed", according to the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission.

The report found that privately-educated pupils still dominate the top professions, while top earners had increased their share of overall wealth.

At the opposite end of the scale, more than a million youngsters were living in poverty, it added.

The Commission, led by former Labour minister Alan Milburn, also warned that progress on tackling child poverty, raising employment levels and boosting the education of disadvantaged youngsters has been too slow.

It also criticised the exclusivity of some of the top professions, saying "those who rise to the top in Britain today look remarkably similar to those who rose to the top half a century ago".

While private schools only educate around seven per cent of the population, it said, former private school pupils dominate jobs such as senior judges, senior armed forces officers, and civil service department heads.

If these trends continue, the Commission said, Britain would become a society that was "ever more divided" - and encouraged the government to act on its election promises, to fulfill the country's potential to be "the most open, fair and mobile society in the modern world."

The report sets out a series of recommendations to boost social mobility, covering areas from early years and schools to apprenticeships, universities and employment.