Research from the Sutton Trust, a social mobility charity, says the gap between the two demographics is growing – driven by employers continuing to underpay interns, and giving opportunities to family and friends rather than advertising them.

A poll of more than 1,200 recent graduates shows half have undertaken an internship, an increase of 12% since 2018, but the gap between working class and middle-class graduates has widened in that time from 12% to 20%.

In many cases, those undertaking unpaid internships were able to do so because they received money from parents, lived at home or with family or friends, or used savings, the Sutton Trust’s research found.

As part of its ‘Make Work Pay’ plan,  issued before the election, Labour said it wanted to ban unpaid internships, aside from those that form part of an education or training course. Details on when that might happen have not been confirmed.