Inside the Oxford Clique That Warped Our Future

Eleven of the fifteen postwar Prime Ministers went to Oxford. How did their privileged upbringing change the U.K? The FT’s Simon Kuper talks to Ros Taylor about how the entitled atmospheres of Oxford and Eton shaped modern Britain, detailed in his latest book Chums.


“Boris Johnson was probably the best known person at Oxford in his day.”


“It’s a great advantage in politics to have a recognisable brand, and Eton encourages that.”


“Johnson learnt all his debating tricks from the Oxford Union.”


“The problem with being Prime Minister is you have to offer substance, and Johnson can’t do that.”


“Daniel Hannan is the Karl Marx of Brexit. He is one of the most important figures in British history.”




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Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Jade Bailey. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production
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