"Anyone interested in that slippery old beast, social mobility – or indeed its stubborn ally, poverty – has to read this book. It is an indispensable guide on how we can finally meet one of the great missions of our age – and, alas, every age."Amol Rajan, journalist and broadcaster"You probably suspected that class wasn’t really dead, but this remarkable, well-researched book brings it roaring back as a live economic, social and political category. The authors introduce us to a new taxonomy of class that applies universally, trace its roots so this new reality is incontestable together with the despondencies class generates – and propose a radical programme of public policy and private action to challenge it. A foundational book for our troubled times "Will Hutton, President of the Academy of Social Sciences