Gavin Williamson appointed education minister

In a dramatic cabinet re-shuffle, the new Prime Minister Boris Johnson has appointed former defence secretary Gavin Williamson as the new education minister.

He replaces Damien Hinds who was in the role for 564 days.

Mr Williamson, who famously told the Russian government to ‘go away’ during the Salisbury poisoning episode, was sacked by the Theresa May administration after he was accused of leaking information from a security meeting, allegations which he has strenuously denied.

His appointment as education secretary sees him enter the cabinet again after sitting on the backbenches since early May.

On being appointed as education secretary, Mr Williamson tweeted: “Absolutely honoured to be appointed Secretary of State for Education by our new Prime Minister @BorisJohnson. Very much looking forward to working with the fantastic team at @educationgovuk.”

Early years sector 'needs adequate funding now'

The responses to Mr Williamson's tweet have been varied.

@JEGullis tweeted: “Congratulations. As someone who is fighting to represent another Staffordshire seat in Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove & Talke as well as being a secondary school teacher; I look forward to talking to you about what we can do to ensure every child gets the start they deserve.”

@theprimaryhead was less welcoming. They tweeted: “The correct response was 'I am looking forward to properly funding schools’.”

Mr Williamson went to a comprehensive school and many in the education sector hope this will give him some insight into the challenges they face.

Commenting on the appointment of Gavin Williamson as the Secretary of State for Education, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance said: "We look forward to working with Gavin Williamson in his new role, and sincerely hope that with his own comprehensive education and background in business, he will recognise the importance of quality, affordable early years education and childcare for social mobility and for helping parents to work.

"Mr Williamson arrives in his post at a time of crisis in early years education. There is a lot of ground to make up for the massive £662 million funding shortfall following years of underfunding of the government's flagship childcare schemes. With almost 10,000 childcare providers closing for good between 2016 and 2018 and many more anticipating closure in the next twelve months, proper funding is needed to stop the total disintegration of the sector.

“We hope the new Secretary of State understands the urgency of the situation, and agrees that the sector needs adequate funding now, as well as an annual review of costs if it is to continue to be able to deliver the government's ambitious childcare programmes."

'Get into a teacher's classroom for a day'

Mr Williamson has no previous experience of working within education and entered into politics after working in the corporate sector. He is married and has two children. The MP built up a fearsome reputation during a stint as a conservative chief whip, keeping a pet tarantula called Kronos on his desk.

The forty-three-year-old Conservative MP for South Staffordshire will be under pressure from the education sector for more funding.

In the past he has voted for greater autonomy for schools and has consistently voted for academy schools, but some commentators on Twitter have already picked up on the minister’s lack of experience within education.

@out_of_ireland tweeted: “To do the job effectively, you need to spend time in schools. Not posing for photos with well-behaved 5 yr olds at story time. Get into a teacher's classroom for a day & see what's really on their plate”.

Jonathan Broadbery, head of policy and external relations at National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) welcomed Mr Williamson's appointment, but again warned about the underfunding in the early years sector. He said: “This is a vital time for the early years and childcare sector and we are looking forward to working with Gavin Williamson and his ministerial team at the Department for Education.

“The new Prime Minister has set out his aim to ensure all children get a high-quality education and we hope that Mr Williamson recognises that investment in early years is the best way to do this.

“Working with our members we have shown the scale of underfunding for early years and the workforce crisis this is causing. We have seen a rise in the number of nursery closures and an exodus of skilled and qualified staff.

“These are vital issues for the new Secretary of State to get to grips with. Purnima Tanuku will be writing to him on behalf of the sector and we look forward to working with him to address these issues as part of the Government’s agenda.”