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Liam O'Dell
Apr 17, 2023
Related video: Rishi Sunak says Tories should ‘welcome’ former PM Boris Johnson in public life
Conservative House
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will today make further comments on the subject of maths, as he continues working on his plan to have all pupils in England study some form of mathematics up to the age of 18 to tackle an “anti-maths mindset”.
In a speech to students, teachers, education experts and business leaders in north London, Mr Sunak will take aim at a “cultural sense that it’s OK to be bad at maths”.
He is expected to say: “We’ve got to start prizing numeracy for what it is – a key skill every bit as essential as reading.
“I won’t sit back and allow this cultural sense that it’s OK to be bad at maths to put our children at a disadvantage.
“My campaign to transform our national approach to maths is not some nice-to-have; it’s about changing how we value maths in this country.”
This follows remarks made by the Conservative leader back in January when he said he sees “no reason why we cannot rival the best education systems in the world”.
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Mr Sunak’s comments back then weren’t well-received by many Twitter users, and they still aren’t now, with some wondering if this latest policy push is a dig at his predecessor Liz Truss:
\u201c\u201cAdults who can\u2019t understand basic maths should be embarrassed\u2026\u201d \n\nFuck Rishi Sunak. The ableist, classist, privilege-drenched prick. \n\nThere are many reasons adults might struggle with maths, particularly if their parents didn\u2019t use a very big number to send them to Winchester.\u201d— Mic Wright (@Mic Wright) 1681712668
\u201c17-04-23\n\nDear Rishi Sunak,\n\nas someone who's not good at maths I would like to apologise for "ruining the economy." If I WAS any good at maths I'd acknowledge the \u00a3110billion made annually by the UK creative arts and STOP FUCKING THEM UP THE ARSE.\n\nYours,\nA STATE PENSIONER\u201d— Ian Martin (@Ian Martin) 1681713528
\u201cThis is a bit mean of Rishi Sunak. Kicking Liz Truss when she's down\u201d— Etan Smallman (@Etan Smallman) 1681681720
\u201cThe economy is in terrible shape because of austerity, Brexit, Liz Truss\u2019 recklessly dangerous \u2018mini budget\u2019 & 13 years of other terrible tory decisions. \n\nYet PM wants us to believe it\u2019s because *checks notes* we\u2019re not good enough at maths.\u201d— Natasha Devon \ud83c\udf08\ud83d\udc99 (@Natasha Devon \ud83c\udf08\ud83d\udc99) 1681712283
\u201cif only Kwarteng and Truss could have done maths\u201d— Agnes (@Agnes) 1681714998
\u201cRishi Sunak says all adults should be able to do maths. Well deadhead Liz Truss's maths wasn't too hot. 70 billion quid subtracted!\u201d— Matthew Payne (@Matthew Payne) 1681711380
\u201cRishi Sunak saying adults who can\u2019t do maths should be embarrassed? Aiming at Liz Truss?\u201d— Bob Morgan \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 #BLM \ud83d\udc99 (@Bob Morgan \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 #BLM \ud83d\udc99) 1681710418
Ms Truss, of course, is now infamous for her calamitous ‘mini-budget’ – one which crashed the pound, forced the Bank of England to buy emergency government bonds in a bid to stabilise the economy, and ultimately led to her becoming the UK’s shorting serving prime minister after just 49 days in office.
In February, the ex-PM blamed the “left-wing economic establishment” for her short tenure, and then just last week she gave a speech to the US think tank The Heritage Foundation in which she claimed "stagnation, redistributionism and woke culture" have been "taking hold in businesses and the economy in the UK and the US".
She said: "Last autumn I had a major setback, but I care too much to give up on this agenda, I think it is too important and I know there are others who care too."
“Major setback”, of course, being a perfectly fine way to describe a reckless policy which triggered an economic crisis, Liz!
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