Matt Cavanagh
Encyclopedia
Matt Cavanagh is an Associate Director at the Institute for Public Policy Research
, working on UK immigration policy. From 2003 to 2010 he was a special adviser in the UK Labour government. He worked for Home Secretary David Blunkett; for Chancellor Gordon Brown; for Defence Secretary Des Browne; and for Gordon Brown again as Prime Minister from June 2007 to May 2010. He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, where he read PPE, and then took a BPhil and DPhil in Philosophy. From 1996 to 2000 he was Lecturer in Philosophy at St Catherine's College, University of Oxford
. From 2000 to 2003 he was a strategy consultant for the Boston Consulting Group
.
Cavanagh is the author of Against Equality of Opportunity
a controversial work of 2002 that criticises conventional understandings of the doctrine of equality of opportunity. It gained positive reviews across the political spectrum, including in the Times Educational Supplement
and in The Spectator
. Other reviews were mixed, including Jeremy Waldron in the London Review of Books and in the Guardian.
Two years later in 2004, with Cavanagh now working as a special adviser, the Guardian returned to the book with a front page story arguing that his views on race and equal opportunity made him unfit to work in government. This led to widespread calls for Cavanagh to be sacked, with questions tabled in Parliament, and the affair rumbled on for a few days. The Guardian
letters page carried a balance of letters for and against Cavanagh.
In 2009 he was briefly in the news again, when he was accused of putting pressure on NHS statisticians to release statistics on knife crime prematurely. The UK Statistics Watchdog reprimanded Downing Street, and again there were calls for his sacking, including from the Public Administration Committee.
Cavanagh has written on Afghanistan and other subjects for Prospect and The Spectator
magazines. He is a regular contributor to a number of blogs including the New Statesman
, The Spectator
, and Labour Uncut.
He was the British national champion at Rugby Fives
in 2004 and 2006.
Institute for Public Policy Research
The IPPR is the leading progressive think-tank in the UK. It produces research and policy ideas committed to upholding values of social justice, democratic reform and environmental sustainability. IPPR is based in London and IPPR North has branches in Newcastle and Manchester.It was founded in...
, working on UK immigration policy. From 2003 to 2010 he was a special adviser in the UK Labour government. He worked for Home Secretary David Blunkett; for Chancellor Gordon Brown; for Defence Secretary Des Browne; and for Gordon Brown again as Prime Minister from June 2007 to May 2010. He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, where he read PPE, and then took a BPhil and DPhil in Philosophy. From 1996 to 2000 he was Lecturer in Philosophy at St Catherine's College, University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. From 2000 to 2003 he was a strategy consultant for the Boston Consulting Group
Boston Consulting Group
The Boston Consulting Group is a global management consulting firm with offices in 42 countries. It is recognized as one of the most prestigious management consulting firms in the world. It is one of only three companies to appear in the top 15 of Fortunes "Best Companies to Work For" report for...
.
Cavanagh is the author of Against Equality of Opportunity
Against Equality of Opportunity
Against Equality of Opportunity is a 2002 book by Matt Cavanagh.The work is a critique of the doctrine of equal opportunity. Cavanagh argues against the conventional understanding of equal opportunity, in particular both meritocracy and most substantial interpretations of equality, including the...
a controversial work of 2002 that criticises conventional understandings of the doctrine of equality of opportunity. It gained positive reviews across the political spectrum, including in the Times Educational Supplement
Times Educational Supplement
The Times Educational Supplement is a weekly UK publication aimed primarily at school teachers in the UK. It was first published in 1910 as a pull-out supplement in The Times newspaper. Such was its popularity that in 1914, the supplement became a separate publication selling for 1 penny.The TES...
and in The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
. Other reviews were mixed, including Jeremy Waldron in the London Review of Books and in the Guardian.
Two years later in 2004, with Cavanagh now working as a special adviser, the Guardian returned to the book with a front page story arguing that his views on race and equal opportunity made him unfit to work in government. This led to widespread calls for Cavanagh to be sacked, with questions tabled in Parliament, and the affair rumbled on for a few days. The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
letters page carried a balance of letters for and against Cavanagh.
In 2009 he was briefly in the news again, when he was accused of putting pressure on NHS statisticians to release statistics on knife crime prematurely. The UK Statistics Watchdog reprimanded Downing Street, and again there were calls for his sacking, including from the Public Administration Committee.
Cavanagh has written on Afghanistan and other subjects for Prospect and The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
magazines. He is a regular contributor to a number of blogs including the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
, The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
, and Labour Uncut.
He was the British national champion at Rugby Fives
Rugby Fives
Rugby Fives is a handball game, similar to squash, played in an enclosed court. It has similarities with Winchester Fives and Eton Fives....
in 2004 and 2006.