Whitehall must rethink its approach to enabling people from poor backgrounds, according to a former health secretary. The Downing Street-backed report, by Alan Milburn, has warned top Civil Service posts are increasingly out of reach to people from even modest, middle class backgrounds. Criticism in the Fair access to the professions was levelled at government at all levels; that talented people are locked out of the system; and demanded changes, particularly in the education system. Mr Milburn said: ‘There is still too much of a governing assumption in too many parts of British society, in too many of our institutions, that progress can be achieved on the basis of a limited pool of talent gaining access to a limited pool of opportunities. ‘That is the default setting of the professions, and the truth is, that form of elitism is unjust socially and cannot work economically.' He warned change was needed to meet demands from the jobs market. He said: ‘We are going to see a further huge expansion in professional jobs in the next decade. The evidence that we have been given suggests that nine in 10 of all future jobs over the next decade will be professional and managerial.'