Back in September last year, Labour leader Keir Starmer unveiled his party’s flagship education policy: a drive for oracy, or public speaking, to be at the centre of the national curriculum.

As Starmer said at the time, his government would put confident speaking ‘at the heart of’ teaching in schools, with these skills potentially making the difference between young people getting and not getting a job later on in life.

It was clear at the time that the main driver of the policy was Starmer himself, who was apparently keen to smash the ‘class ceiling’.

Is his oracy hobby horse now being stabled though?........

© The Spectator