Tory politicians are dropping like flies at the moment – with former cabinet minister Sajid Javid the latest in a growing line of MPs to announce that he won’t be standing for office at the next general election. So perhaps it’s not surprising that Tory ministers are currently looking for silver linings wherever they can find them.
Mr S wonders if that’s why schools minister Nick Gibb was so happy to see Labour Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves at the National Teaching Awards last Saturday. According to Mr S’s mole at the event, Gibb wandered over to Reeves, who was chatting with a group of head teachers, and began to boast about all the great work the Conservatives had done for the school she went to growing up in Bromley.
There was just one snag: he was actually talking to the Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who grew up in the north east. Awkward! Even worse, the mix-up seems to have occurred even though Phillipson was speaking at the event in question. All of which does seem to suggest that Gibb – who has been contacted for comment – has yet to get to grips with Labour’s education team, despite being re-appointed to the schools minister post in October.
One has to wonder if Gibb’s next report card will say: ‘must try harder’…
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