Adam Boulton: The revolving door of education secretaries has created an environment as stable as crumbling concrete
The career of Education Secretary Gillian Keegan looks precarious following the sudden disruption of the start of the school year.
After days of hesitation, the government confirmed last week that RAAC concrete – which can cause buildings to collapse – has been identified in 146 schools, of which at least 43 were unable to begin face-to-face education as normal.
Potentially thousands more schools, as well as other public buildings, may be affected.
Ms Keegan’s handling of the situation has not endeared her to her colleagues or the general public.
In spite of receiving warnings over months, if not years, she gave schools no notice before announcing – just days before children returned after the holidays – that they would have to shut facilities immediately.
As the controversy raged she was on holiday, unavailable for interview and, allegedly, unable to return from one of her homes in Spain because of the air traffic control breakdown.
She made things worse for the government when she got back to Westminster.
On camera for a TV interview, she let off a four-letter strewn tirade, complaining: “Does anyone ever say you’ve done a f***ing good job, because everyone else has sat on their a*** and done nothing?”. Later she laughed when the footage was played back to her on Sky News.
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Gillian Keegan watches clip of herself swearing
Meanwhile, there were reports that she “blindsided” fellow ministers with her drastic announcement. Labour raised questions about a recent £34m revamp of the Department for Education headquarters and about £1m from the schools rebuilding fund paid to a company linked to her husband.
Yet in comparison to previous hue and cry against other beleaguered ministers, Ms Keegan seems to be getting off lightly.
The Labour leadership has not yet demanded her sacking or resignation. This appears to be less of a comment on her performance than an expression of exasperation that her departure would not make much difference.
10 education secretaries in 13 years
There have been no less than, a shocking, 10 secretaries of state for education in the 13 years since the Conservatives took power in 2010. Would another one now make much difference to the state of schools?
Naming the 10 education secretaries is too difficult for a pub quiz or an A-level politics exam. In order they have been: Michael Gove, Nicky Morgan, Justine Greening, Damian Hinds, Gavin Williamson, Nadhim Zahawi, Michelle Donelan, James Cleverly, Kit Malthouse and Ms Keegan.
On average each minister has not stuck around long enough for a child to complete two years of primary or secondary school.
Given that politicians of all hues never tire of telling us that children are our the nation’s future, this turmoil betrays an extraordinarily neglectful attitude to ensuring a stable environment for children to acquire the life skills they need.
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In further evidence of carelessness in this policy area, there have also been 10 ministers responsible for higher education and universities since 2010. Jo, now Lord, Johnson fulfilled the role for two separate terms.
Much of the rapid turnover is down to the rolling chaos of four prime ministers in the past five years.
All were determined to appoint a team loyal to them, as each positioned themselves in the raging Tory ideological civil wars. Since Boris Johnson took over in 2019 there have been six education secretaries.
The Department for Education is one subject to systemic instability during these Tory governments.
Since David Cameron became prime minister there have been 12 culture secretaries – including Michelle Donelan and Ms Morgan who also had goes at education, and 11 lord chancellors in charge of the justice system – including Mr Gove.
Job seen as stepping stone
The roster in those posts regarded as more senior has stayed in single figures: is now the eight foreign secretaries (including former education secretary Mr Cleverly), seven defence secretaries (including Mr Williamson) and five home secretaries (Suella Braverman has been appointed twice).
This gives away which jobs ambitious politicians really want. A stint as education secretary is increasingly being regarded as merely a stepping stone to something better.
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The revolving door at the Department for Education has been spinning faster and faster, leaving some secretaries of state barely time to locate the toilets.
Education has seldom been treated as a key department but there is no modern precedent for the recent turmoil. A minority of education secretaries on both sides have even displayed genuine interest and left a mark on the education system they are supposed to oversee.
As a member of the wartime coalition cabinet, the Conservative R A Butler enacted the blueprint for education reform in the UK from 1945 onward. From 1950, the last time before this when the Conservatives were in power for 13 years, only six people held the job.
Labour’s Harold Wilson needed just four in his first seven-year government and only three in the five years he shared with Jim Callaghan second time round. Anthony Crosland and Shirley Williams are remembered for their implementation of comprehensive schools to replace grammars and secondary moderns.
In between those two Labour governments, the Conservative prime minister Ted Heath’s sole education secretary was Margaret Thatcher, ultimately to his regret.
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Headteacher’s anger at clip of minister swearing
She too shut a lot of grammars and abolished free school milk for children. In government for 18 years, she and John Major only appointed seven.
Kenneth Baker was the most notable reforming secretary of state, introducing standard attainment tests in primary schools.
There were six in new Labour’s 13 years from 1997 to 2010. David Blunkett was the first blind cabinet minister. He brought in university tuition fees and took on the teaching unions in support of Mr Baker’s basic standards.
Estelle Morris deserves special mention for resigning voluntarily after just one year saying she didn’t feel up to it after failing to hit literacy and numeracy targets.
Education secretary for a mere 36 hours
What of the current Tory 10?
Ms Donelan is back in the cabinet as science secretary in spite of holding the all-time record for the shortest ever cabinet post. She was education secretary for a mere 36 hours – collateral damage in the Tory implosion last summer when Mr Johnson appointed a new cabinet after he had been forced to quit.
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What is the concrete crisis?
Also leaving no impression on schools beyond uncertainty in the Johnson-Truss-Sunak interregnum: Mr Cleverly who did two months as Mr Johnson’s education caretaker, Mr Malthouse who served Ms Truss, and Mr Zahawi, who was dropped in for 10 months after Mr Johnson sacked Mr Williamson, who had previously been sacked as defence secretary. Mr Johnson brought him back to education.
Mr Williamson’s handling of schools and exams during the pandemic resulted in several U-turns and was heavily criticised. Mr Hinds paid attention to Catholic education. His 18 months as education secretary were ended abruptly by Mr Johnson.
Ms Morgan and Ms Greening were each in the job for about two years. They were both made women and equalities minister at the same time.
This left the impression that their bosses regarded both portfolios dismissively as not really proper jobs, best given to women. Both fell foul of the pro-Brexit leadership. Ms Greening was purged from the party and now campaigns on social mobility. Ms Morgan survived and is in the House of Lords, where she chairs the committee on public commemoration of COVID.
Confronting ‘the left-wing blob’
Mr Gove was the first, the longest serving, and the most significant of these Tory education secretaries. UK school pupils are now higher up international tables for literacy and numeracy. Conservatives give Mr Gove credit for his insistence on conventional teaching methods.
He was the first elected politician to bring the radical campaigner Dominic Cummings, later called a “career psychopath” by David Cameron, into government as an aide.
Levelling up Secretary Michael Gove was education secretary in David Cameron’s cabinet
Mr Gove and Mr Cummings promoted free schools and academies and confronted what they called “the left-wing blob”. The teaching unions voted no confidence in Mr Gove. In 2014, ahead of the approaching general election, Mr Cummings resigned amid controversy about his behaviour towards colleagues. Mr Gove was demoted – for the time being.
In one of his first acts as education secretary, Mr Gove cancelled the previous Labour government’s “Building for the Future” schools regeneration scheme.
The opposition are pointing to that as the source of failure to deal with RAAC concrete in school buildings. Ms Keegan is carrying burdens passed on to her by her nine Conservative predecessors. In her terms probably more of them “sat on their a***s” than did a “f***ing brilliant job”. That may be the best reason for Mr Sunak to keep her on as education secretary.
Sir Keir Starmer has said stability in the Middle East is “a priority” following US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, as the world reacted to the attack.
The prime minister also called on Iran to “return to the negotiating table” to “reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis”.
The US struck three sites in Iran early on Sunday morning, with Donald Trump boasting the country’s key nuclear sites were “completely and fully obliterated” in an address to the nation from the White House. He warned there could be further strikes if Iran retaliates.
Follow latest: Iran considering ‘all options’ after US strikes
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US strikes on Iran explained
In a statement, Sir Keir said: “Iran’s nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security. Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat.
“The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority. We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis.”
He said the UK was not involved in the attack but was informed about them in advance.
Sir Keir later told reporters there was a “risk of escalation” and added: “That’s a risk to the region. It’s a risk beyond the region, and that’s why all our focus has been on de-escalating, getting people back around to negotiate what is a very real threat in relation to the nuclear programme.”
The prime minister will chair a meeting of the government’s COBRA crisis committee on Sunday afternoon.
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What we know so far about US strikes
What happens next is largely in Iran’s control
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Trump: Iran strikes ‘spectacular success’
Netanyahu praises Trump
Israel‘s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Mr Trump for the strikes, saying: “Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history.
“History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world’s most dangerous regime the world’s most dangerous weapons.”
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‘Trump’s bold decision will change history’
UN secretary-general ‘gravely alarmed’ by US attack
But UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said he was “gravely alarmed by the use of force” by the US against Iran.
“This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security. There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world.”
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres. Pic: Reuters
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged all sides to step back and return to the negotiating table. “Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon,” she said in a post on X.
“I urge all sides to step back, return to the negotiating table and prevent further escalation,” she said, adding that EU foreign ministers will discuss the situation tomorrow.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. Pic: Reuters
How the world reacted to the strikes
World leaders reacted to the strikes with calls for diplomacy and de-escalation, with some fearing they could push the region towards a wider conflict.
Russia’s former president and current deputy chair of its security council, Dmitry Medvedev, said on the Telegram messaging app: “Trump, who came in as a peacemaker president, has started a new war for the US.”
China strongly condemned the attack, with its foreign ministry saying the move seriously violates the UN charter and worsens tensions in the Middle East. It urged the parties involved to cease attacks as soon as possible and begin negotiations.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Iran to enter immediate talks with the US and Israel to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict, a government spokesperson said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Pic: Reuters
France urged all sides to show restraint, with its foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot saying Paris is “convinced that a lasting resolution to this issue requires a negotiated solution within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty”.
Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani said after the attack that his country’s government hopes “a de-escalation can begin and Iran can sit down at the negotiating table”.
Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on X: “We strongly condemn the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities, which constitutes a dangerous escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. The aggression seriously violates the UN Charter and international law and plunges humanity into a crisis with irreversible consequences.”
Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel. Pic: Reuters
Venezuela’s foreign minister Yvan Gil said his country’s government “condemns US military aggression” and “demands an immediate cessation of hostilities”.
NATO member Turkey said the strikes raised the risk of a regional conflict spreading globally, with the foreign ministry saying the spread of the conflict into a wider global war must not be allowed.
The Iraqi government condemned the strikes, saying they create a grave threat to peace and security in the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia expressed “deep concern” but stopped short of condemning the attack.
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Both Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen – part of Iran’s so-called Axis of Resistance – condemned the strikes, with the Houthis vowing to support Iran in its fight against “the Zionist and American aggression”.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said his country needs to stay away from any possible regional spillover from the conflict.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. Pic: Reuters
Qatar said it “regrets” the escalating tensions and its foreign ministry urged all parties to show restraint and “avoid escalation, which the peoples of the region, burdened by conflicts and their tragic humanitarian repercussions, cannot tolerate”.
The United Arab Emirates called for an immediate halt to the escalation to “avoid serious repercussions” in the region, with its foreign ministry warning they could lead the region to “new levels of instability”.
Oman condemned the strikes, with a spokesperson for its foreign ministry warning they threaten “to expand the scope of the conflict and constitute a serious violation of international law and the United Nations charter”.
Maryam Rajavi, the head of Iranian opposition group National Council of Resistance of Iran, said from Paris: “Now [Supreme Leader] Khamenei must go. The Iranian people welcome the end of the war and seek peace and freedom.
“Khamenei is responsible for an unpatriotic project that, in addition to costing countless lives, has cost the Iranian people at least $2trn (£1.5trn) – and now, it has all gone up in smoke.”
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Since the local elections Reform UK has had no shortage of good polls.
But a new one suggests Nigel Farage’s party has a chance not only of winning the next election, but of claiming a decent Commons majority, too.
In February, Reform topped a Sky News/YouGov poll for the first time, with Nigel Farage’s party edging in front on 25%, Labour pushed into second on 24%, with the Tories on 21%.
But a fresh one from Ipsos puts Reform on 34%, nine points ahead of Labour on 25%, with the Conservatives a distant third on 15%.
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While the other parties are flatlining, Reform appears to be pushing boundaries.
Were these figures to be replicated across the country at a general election, with every constituency behaving the same way, then Reform could win as many as 340 seats, giving it a majority of 30, Sky News analysis suggests.
Labour could be reduced to 176 seats, down 236 on last year’s election, while the Tories would hit a record low of 12 seats.
But polling should always be taken with a pinch of salt and with the firm acknowledgement that there is not an election coming any time soon.
Conservative backbenchers might also tell you publicly that opinion polls are notoriously difficult to translate into seat numbers because voting percentages in individual constituencies can vary hugely from the overall average.
But the truth is that the symbolism of Reform UK topping another poll is likely to be noticed by MPs from all parties, especially backbench Conservatives who have actively been hoping their leader, Kemi Badenoch, can help them climb the polls and bring the party back into public favour.
Politics is a brutal game and when it comes to toppling underwhelming party leaders, the Tories are more ruthless than most. One wonders how many of these polls Mrs Badenoch’s party will allow her to endure.
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Reeves takes aim at Reform UK
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This poll is also a warning to Labour.
As the party approaches a year since its major victory, it will not have much to celebrate if these numbers are anything to go by.
According to this survey, only 19% are satisfied with the job Sir Keir Starmer is doing as prime minister, with 73% dissatisfied.
And the figure of 25% of voters intending to vote Labour is a level not seen since October 2019.
While abstract to much of the public, polling can often shape not only the chatter inside Westminster but how and when plots by MPs begin.
For Reform UK, this is a much-needed morale boost after a surprise resignation by their former Chairman Zia Yusuf, and then an almost immediate U-turn back into the party.
And Kemi Badenoch – who said during her leadership campaign that the Conservatives needed to go back to first principles and that this would take time – will be wondering, seven-and-a-half months after winning the leadership, how much time she really has left.
Ipsos interviewed a representative probability sample of 1,180 British adults aged 18+, via the Ipsos UK KnowledgePanel. Data was collected between 30 May-4 June 2025.
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