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Former Labour Cabinet minister Alan Milburn is the new social mobility tsar for the coalition government.
He will advise on improving the life chances of the least well-off.
Under Gordon Brown he headed a social mobility commission.
Last year it produced a report criticising the "closed shop" mentality of the professions.
The report called for a national network of career mentors, a transparent system for internships and measures to ensure the poorest can access university education.
However, the recommendations were not taken up by the Brown administration.
Milburn's appointment to a coalition government role has been condemned by former deputy prime minister John Prescott, now Lord Prescott of Kingston upon Hull.
On his Twitter feed he called the former health secretary a collaborator, along with Labour figures Frank Field and John Hutton, who have also taken advisory roles with the Conservative/Lib Dem administration.
"They collaborated to get Brown OUT. Now collaborating to keep Cameron IN," he wrote.
Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg welcomed Milburn's appointment, and accused Prescott of "getting his ermine in a twist".
He said Milburn would lead an independent review that will report to parliament, not ministers.
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