Since becoming Prime Minister on September 6, Liz Truss has chosen her new Ministers for Education. Who are they and what are their intentions?
Minister of Skills, Further and Higher Education:
The new Minister for Skills, Further and Higher Education is Andrea Jenkyns. The MP for Mortley and Outwood since May 2015 is perhaps best known for her recent mishap where she flipped off a group of protestors outside of Downing Street.
She apologised soon after the incident, citing that she is “only human” and was just “st[anding] up for herself”.
Jenkyns has often been commended by her fellow MPs for her decision to return to University after a brief career in music, which included a hit Pakistani single called ‘The Beach’, and a stint at Greggs. She argues her recent first-hand experience with Higher Education qualifies her best to progress the system in the UK.
Jenkyns has not made any direct statements regarding exactly how she intends to utilise her new position but it is believed that she will continue to pursue the policies of her predecessors.
Secretary of State for Education:
Kit Malthouse, an ex-member of the Westminster City Council and previous Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, succeeds James Cleverly as Secretary of State for Education.
He becomes the fourth Secretary of State for Education in a year since Gavin Williamson left the position in 2021.
Malthouse has so far only made one public declaration on what he intends to do as Secretary of State for Education, stating that he had been given permission by the PM to create a new generation of Grammar Schools.
Some have criticised this move as elitist and a failure to acknowledge the real problems within the education system; Malthouse argues instead it is about “parent[s] choice” over their children’s education.
