The professionalisation of politics makes our democracy less representative and less accessible

The rise of the professional politician has been a noted trend in recent years. The leaders of our major parties reflect this – David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were all political advisers before becoming MPs. Peter Allen has researched this phenomenon and argues that, although careerism is not quite as widespread as some claim, the prominence of professional politicians among party frontbenchers may lead to reduced public engagement with democracy.