Abstract
This article questions the perceived optimism regarding a new centrist left-wing ‘United Kingdom (UK) government’ stance on English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision. It examines the impact of neoliberal policies, particularly those of the New Labour government (1997–2010), and compares them with previous/subsequent Conservative governments (1979–1997; 2010–2024). Through secondary analysis, this paper illustrates how successive governments have viewed ESOL as a tool of immigration control, cutting funding access and escalating educational opportunity disparities, especially for ESOL learners. Additionally, rising global populism further threatens equitable ESOL provision through exclusionary policies.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e70035 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | TESOL Journal |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Early online date | 17 Mar 2025 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2025 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- neoliberal governments
- ESOL provision
- English to Speakers of Other Languages
Access to Document
- Neoliberal governments, ESOL provision and wider implications
Copyright 2025 The Authors. This is an open access article published under a Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the author and source are cited.