One of the most important roles for government is to enable social mobility, unleash opportunity, and strengthen our economy through a world-class education system.

I had the advantage of going to an excellent state primary school in Chorleywood and an excellent state secondary school in Amersham. I would not be half the person I am if I hadn’t gone there and taken full advantage of the benefits of the great education they provided.

Since moving to Camden in 2006, I was always told that it had among the best schools in the country, so I’ve been astonished by the precipitous decline in school standards in Camden relative to other boroughs in the last 10 years.

The drop has been most alarming at secondary level. By the age of 16, pupils in Camden that performed exactly the same at age 11 fall a whole half a grade behind pupils in Barnet, Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, and even Newham.

One of my main ambitions is to turn that around and restore Camden to the excellent education it used to be known for, so that everybody has the opportunities that come from getting the best start in life.

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