Financial education MP named 'MP of the month'
It’s great to see the campaign to get financial education in schools getting recognition within political circles. Congratulations to Justin Tomlinson MP for being named ‘MP of the month for May’ by Total Politics magazine, one of the main in-house political journals read by politicians.
This is a crucial step, both as an indication that there is real momentum gathering behind the financial education campaign, but also and probably more importantly it shows that this is now becoming an open subject of discussion among the Westminster village.
For years, banks, consumer groups, teachers, youth clubs and others have been providing great content and resources to help the cause. This has been a fantastic achievement, yet an impasse has been reached where if we want every child to be taught these crucial skills we can’t just rely on the wonderful teachers or head teachers who take an interest. We need it to become compulsory so that no child misses out as the majority still don’t get taught anything.
That’s why this issue is very much a political one – as only politicians can make it happen. The worry is Westminster often operates within its own slightly disjointed bubble. The All Party Parliamentary Group that Justin set up with the support of MoneySavingExpert.com and PFEG is a crucial line into that world for those of us who’ve been campaigning, as there is a growing acceptance that it will only really be won in that world.
Interestingly, that perspective is almost directly mirrored by the editor of Total Politics magazine in the choice of May MP of the month but from the other side, as Justin’s main achievement is seen as being bringing in outside bodies into the village.
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