DfE names new ministers following mass resignations
Fiona Simpson
Wednesday, July 13, 2022
The Department for Education has appointed its new ministers following a mass resignation of Conservative frontbenchers in response to Boris Johnson’s handling of the Chris Pincher affair.
DfE lost two education secretaries in just two days after Nadhim Zahawi was promoted to Chancellor of the Exchequer on 5 July and his replacement Michelle Donelan quit the post just 24-hours after being appointed.
Both children’s minister Will Quince and schools minister Robin Walker also stepped down from their posts, however, Quince later returned to the department following Johnson’s resignation on Thursday (7 July).
Johnson agreed to step down from his position as Conservative leader after the resignation of 60 MPs but remains in post as caretaker Prime Minister until a new leader is selected.
Former Education Secretary Zahawi is among 11 candidates in the race to become the next Prime Minister with the will set to be selected on 5 September.
CYP Now looks at who has been appointed by DfE following a week of cabinet turmoil:
James Cleverly
MP for Braintree James Cleverly has been appointed as Education Secretary following the promotion of Zahawi and resignation of Donelan.
Cleverly’s most recent ministerial position was as minister of state for the Middle East, North Africa and North America from February 2020 to February 2022.
Cleverly, who had a career in media sales before entering politics, served as co-chair of the Conservative Party from 2019-20 and was member of the London Assembly for Bexley and Bromley from 2008 to 2016.
In 2009, he was appointed by then London mayor Johnson as a youth ambassador, a newly created role that replaced the previous deputy mayor for young people post following the resignation of Ray Lewis.
Cleverly is also a serving officer in the Territorial Army being promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2015.
Brendan Clarke-Smith
Brendan Clarke-Smith, MP for Bassetlaw in Nottinghamshire since 2019, has been appointed as children and families minister replacing Will Quince (see below).
Responding to the announcement, Clarke-Smith wrote on Twitter: "Together we’ll take forward ambitious plans to tackle the cost of childcare, support social workers, and protect children across the country."
Clark-Smith is a former teacher who has worked in the UK as well as in Sweden Norway and Romania.
He is a member of the education select committee and level up, housing and communities committee.
He also sits on the committee for the skills and post-16 education bill.
Following his appointment, Clarke-Smith said he was "absolutely delighted to join my friend Andrea Jenkyns" at DfE.
Will Quince
Will Quince resigned as children’s minister on 6 July alongside more than 50 ministers.
However, following Johnson’s resignation he returned to DfE as minister school standards minister replacing Robin Walker.
Quince, who has been MP for Colchester since 2015, previously defended Boris Johnson over claims he was aware of allegations of inappropriate conduct by former chief whip Pincher before appointing him to the position.
He was originally appointed as children’s minister in September last year, replacing Vicky Ford.
Andrea Jenkyns
MP for Morley and Outwood Andrea Jenkyns has been named as minister for higher education and skills at DfE.
Jenkyns has already received criticism from teaching unions after raising her middle finger at a crowd outside Downing Street on the day of Johnson’s resignation.
A joint letter from Unison, the Association of School and College Leaders, the National Association of Head Teachers and the National Education Union, published on Monday, said: “As role models, politicians are increasingly falling short of the standards expected of them. Your words would certainly not be an acceptable excuse from a pupil or member of staff in a school or college.
“We believe you should publicly acknowledge the impact that your loss of composure is likely to have on the ability of education teams to maintain common decency in schools.”
In a statement following the incident, Jenkyns said she had “reached the end of her tether” following “huge amounts of abuse”.
She said she had received seven death threats in four years, adding: “I should have shown more composure, but am only human.”
Baroness Barran
Conservative peer Baroness Barran is the only minister to remain in her current position at DfE throughout the emergency reshuffle.
Barran has been schools system minister since September 2021 having moved from the position of minister at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Barran’s position within the DfE is unpaid.
Elsewhere, Victoria Atkins also resigned as youth justice minister.
While the Ministry of Justice has appointed a series of new minister, the youth justice portfolio is yet to be assigned.
