An independent Commission on Social Mobility, to be chaired by Martin Narey, Chief Executive of Barnardo’s and the Chair of the End Child Poverty Coalition, is being established today by Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg.

The commission will investigate the reasons for Britain’s apparently low levels of social mobility and recommend policy changes to enable children from disadvantaged backgrounds to fulfil their full potential.

Current evidence suggests that social mobility is currently lower in the UK than in most western democracies.

Nick Clegg said:

"In 2007, a child born into deprivation is more likely to inherit his or her parents’ disadvantage than at any time in our recent past.

"It is utterly unacceptable that by the age of seven, a bright but poor child will be overtaken at school by a child who was struggling in pre-school years but is from a more affluent background.

"I want to know why it is that Britain’s low levels of social mobility compare unfavourably with almost every other developed nation. Children should be free to realise their aspirations and not be held back by the circumstances of their birth.

"I am delighted that Martin Narey has agreed to chair the independent commission. He brings an impressive professional background and experience. He will be assisted by six other commission members who will be appointed shortly."

Martin Narey said:

"The very high levels of child poverty in the United Kingdom are already deeply concerning. But the evidence of reducing social mobility is particularly alarming because of the potential for a child’s life chances to be determined - much more than in the fifties or sixties - by the circumstances of his or her birth.

"I welcome Nick Clegg’s invitation to lead a independent commission looking at social mobility, establishing the extent to which it has slowed, the efficacy of current policies, some of which may need time to produce results, and to identify what more might be done to reduce inequality."

Key questions to be considered by the Commission will include:

· Why does social mobility in Britain appear to have stalled and to what extent is it now lower than other countries?

· Have significant increases in public spending in recent years made measurable improvements to social mobility or are they likely to do so in the longer term?

· What are the potential benefits to wider British society of improved levels of social mobility?

· What policy changes, within sensible spending limits, would improve the ability of people from poor backgrounds to improve their life chances. Specifically, how important are: increasing incomes for the poorest families; education and health services; decentralisation and local community empowerment.

The Commission will be expected to report back to Nick Clegg by the end of 2008, and to produce interim findings halfway through the year. The commission is entirely independent. The Liberal Democrats will consider how to take forward its recommendations as party policy but the commission’s report and conclusions will also be published and be available to all political parties.