Westminster Hall — sitting of 15 July 2026: transcript & video

00:08 - 00:13

Speaker 1

Order, order. Morning, ladies and gentlemen. Jo Platt, move the motion, please.

00:13 - 01:56

Speaker 2

I beg to move that this House has considered accents and social mobility, and thank you, Sir Roger, for chairing this debate. The way we speak reveals so much about us. So long before we explain our politics, our profession, or our background, the moment we open our mouths, our accents instantly signal a core part of who we are. Accents carry traces of our communities, our upbringing, and our lived experience. They are part of our story.

So I grew up in, as a working-class woman from Salford, so my accent has always been woven into my identity, just as much as my values or my politics. And after more than 20 years living in Leigh, it has naturally taken on a Lancashire lilt. I say beltin' when something is brilliant, int it when I agree, and lovely instead of lovely. But however, what is harder to confront is the pressure that many people feel to change the way they speak in order to progress. Accents can be a barrier, and it's a barrier that not many people speak about.

There is a hierarchy of accent prestige deeply rooted in British society. Yet we should remind ourselves of a simple truth. Everybody has an accent. There is no such thing as speaking without one. What we often describe as a neutral accent is simply an accent that has historically been associated with power and prestige.

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