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Gavin Williamson will be remembered as disastrous Secretary of State for Education

15 September 2021

Gavin Williamson has been sacked as Secretary of State for Education after mishandling education throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

Commenting on the sacking UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: 'Gavin Williamson will be remembered by university and college staff as a disastrous secretary of state who caused deep and lasting damage. From the mutant algorithm which attempted to hardwire inequalities into the exam system, to his negligent mismanagement of the pandemic leading to schools, universities and colleges becoming Covid incubators, Williamson's long list of failures is shocking.

'Throughout his time as Secretary of State for Education Williamson has pursued an agenda that attempted to undermine the purpose of education, most recently choosing to slash arts and humanities funding in half and extend the marketised, debt-fuelled loan model to our colleges.

'Rather than responding to the challenges of a global pandemic, he led the charge in a completely pointless culture war against university staff and students. A culture war that was entirely fabricated and led to no positive change in the sector. Wasting such an inordinate amount of time just to satisfy the hardcore Tory base underlines just how little he really cares about education.

'The next Secretary of State for Education has an opportunity to build a new relationship with the staff and students in our universities and colleges, but they must commit to repairing the damage that has been done by Gavin Williamson.'

Last updated: 20 September 2021