Fury as former education secretary Gavin Williamson is handed a KNIGHTHOOD after overseeing catastrophic Covid exams bungle and twice being sacked from the Government
- Downing Street revealed he had been given a knighthood this afternoon
- Williamson was axed last September in Cabinet reshuffle amid school criticism
- He had faced repeated criticism and calls to resign over exam chaos in 2020
Former education secretary Gavin Williamson was awarded a knighthood today, just months after being sacked for overseeing the Covid pandemic exams shambles.
Downing Street said on Thursday afternoon that the Queen has conferred the honour on the Tory MP, who has twice been sacked from the Government.
Mr Williamson, who ran Boris Johnson’s Tory leadership campaign in 2019, was axed last September in a Cabinet reshuffle.
He had faced repeated criticism and calls to resign after overseeing months of Covid schools chaos and the exam result fiasco in 2020.
When his removal was confirmed, Labour’s Angela Rayner described him as a ‘prat’.
He had previously been sacked as defence secretary by Theresa May after being blamed for leaks of top secret information on China from national security briefings.
While in that post he attracted ridicule for telling Russia to ‘go away’ and shut up’ at the height of the Salisbury poisoning.
But No 10 this afternoon said: ‘The Queen has been pleased to approve that the honour of Knighthood be conferred upon The Rt Hon Gavin Williamson CBE MP.’
Asked why the knighthood was being announced now and not part of an honours list, Downing Street said it was a political appointment by the Conservative Party.
Lib Dem MP Layla Moran said: ‘One does have to wonder…does Williamson know where all the horcuxes are hidden…I can’t think of any other reason why he has been honoured for doing such an abominable job.’
Downing Street said on Thursday afternoon that the Queen has conferred the honour on the Tory MP, who has twice been sacked from the Government.
He had faced repeated criticism and calls to resign after overseeing months of Covid schools chaos and the exam result fiasco in 2020.
Lib Dem MP Layla Moran said: ‘One does have to wonder…does Williamson know where all the horcuxes are hidden…I can’t think of any other reason why he has been honoured for doing such an abominable job.’
Mr Williamson was appointed Education Secretary after Boris Johnson’s election as Prime Minister in July 2019.
After closing schools in March 2020 because of Covid, and then cancelling that year’s GCSEs and A-Levels, he faced calls to resign – and was likened to accident-prone British TV character Frank Spencer – after the Government was forced into a U-turn following protests over the downgrading of thousands of results.
He also received criticism over the recovery plan to help pupils catch up and confusion around children returning to class amid Covid-19.
He was also given the nickname ‘Private Pike’ by critics who compare him to the hapless young soldier in Dad’s Army.
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