Milburn makes a surprise return

Alan Milburn has made a surprise return to the political front line as an advisor to Gordon Brown.

The Prime Minister has turned to the former Cabinet minister, a leading Blairite with whom he has repeatedly clashed, to head a new commission on social mobility.

Mr Milburn will chair a panel of industry leaders charged with identifying and removing obstacles to people from disadvantaged backgrounds getting into the professions.

The initiative was described by the Tories as "class war" reminiscent of the Laura Spence affair - a reference to the Tyneside comprehensive schoolgirl who was rejected by Oxford University in 2000 to the dismay of Mr Brown.

Mr Milburn has a history of rivalry with Mr Brown in government and has voiced concern about Labour's strategy since Mr Brown's accession.

He has now been put in charge of drawing up recommendations on one of the Prime Minister's biggest priorities - widening the scope for people to achieve their potential.

Measures to promote social mobility are to be set out in a White Paper on Tuesday.

Mr Milburn, MP for Darlington, will chair a panel of representatives from the professions who will generate proposals for what they can do to widen access in their sphere. It will also report recommendations to the Government when it produces a policy statement in June.

In an article for The Sunday Times, Mr Milburn said he would be trying to ensure that "the best people, regardless of their backgrounds, have a fair crack of the whip".

But shadow work and pensions secretary Chris Grayling said: "This is all about Gordon Brown fighting Laura Spence-style class wars and internal Labour political manoeuvring, and nothing to do with the real root cause of social immobility."