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Politics
Liam O'Dell
Jun 30, 2022
Related video: Gavin Williamson says he's 'forgotten' his A-level results
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MPs having second jobs is a controversial concept to many people – given how demanding public service is – but former education secretary Gavin Williamson getting a job as an education adviser is enough to irritate practically anyone.
Yes, the Conservative MP who can’t even remember his A-Level grades has still somehow managed to land the role of chairman for RTC Education Ltd.’s advisory board – according to The Guardian.
The company, which trades as Regent Group, describes itself as an organisation which “owns and manages independent schools, higher education colleges and an investment business” and provides “consulting services to both the private and public sectors”.
Mr Williamson’s role, which involves giving “general strategic advice on international business expansion and attending regular advisory board meetings”, was approved by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) subject to four conditions.
The watchdog, which oversee new jobs for former ministers, said it was fine for Williamson to take up the job provided:
- he doesn’t disclose any “privileged information” from when he was education secretary
- lobby the government on behalf of the company for two years from the date he left ministerial office
- or provide any advice on how to secure a government contract for two years from his last day as education secretary
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Hey, at least Eric Pickles, Acoba’s chair, hasn’t previously gone on the record to describe such an important investigative body as “toothless”, right?
\u201cEric Pickles, ex Tory cabinet minister & now Acoba chair, said last week that the body was toothless: \n\n\u201cI\u2019m not aware, in the past 30 years, of a single sanction being imposed\u2009.\u2009.\u2009. there are no sanctions,\u201d he told an inquiry by the committee on public standards.\u201d— Jim Pickard (@Jim Pickard) 1617171160
Ah.
And needless to say, Twitter users are unimpressed by the news:
\u201cFilthy\u201d— NeilMackay (@NeilMackay) 1656600373
\u201cFuck me they\u2019ll be making Matt Hancock the Patron Saint of Care Homes at this rate\u2026 Gavin Williamson who singlehandedly destroyed a year of learning for an entire generation of school children, and then arsed up the exam grading algorithm\u2026 50k a year advisory job in education\u201d— Stuzi \ud83d\udc1d\ud83d\udc1d\ud83d\udc1d (@Stuzi \ud83d\udc1d\ud83d\udc1d\ud83d\udc1d) 1656599555
\u201c@thetimes I think what he knows about education probably isn\u2019t worth paying for\ud83d\ude44\u201d— The Times (@The Times) 1656592260
\u201c@thetimes Congratulations to Gavin. He entered politics to make a difference to his life and he's achieved that.\u201d— The Times (@The Times) 1656592260
\u201c@thetimes He could not advise his way out if a paper bag! A totally useless Education Secretary! How on earth is laying him \u00a350k for his advice?? I will do it for nothing!\u201d— The Times (@The Times) 1656592260
\u201c@thetimes At best ..Isn\u2019t this akin to a 16 yr old trainee Chef taking a job as a head Chef at The Dorchester\u201d— The Times (@The Times) 1656592260
Other blunders from Mr Williamson’s time as education secretary – or should we say, Sir Gavin Williamson, as he somehow got knighted six months after losing his cabinet job – include blaming parents for Covid spikes in schools and managing to confuse footballer Marcus Rashford and rugby union player Maro Itoje.
Then there was the time he expressed concerns about boosting A-Level grades for students affected by the Covid pandemic because it could lead to over-promotion, failing to recognise the irony given some saw him as an over-promoted MP.
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