The news hasn’t gone down well
Former education secretary Gavin Williamson has been given a knighthood, Downing Street has said.
“The Queen has been pleased to approve that the honour of Knighthood be conferred upon The Rt. Hon. Gavin Williamson CBE MP,” No. 10 announced on Thursday.
News of his knighthood has already proved controversial.
Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson MP, said: “Gavin Williamson left children to go hungry, created two years of complete chaos over exams and failed to get laptops out to kids struggling to learn during lockdowns. His record is astonishing and disgraceful.
“Boris Johnson is proving again it’s one rule for him and his mates and another for the rest of us.
“This shows utter contempt for the challenges children and education staff have faced during the pandemic.”
The former minister and MP for South Staffordshire was infamously sacked by Johnson in September 2021, having come under heavy criticism for his handling of exams and school closures.
He also lost his job shortly after confusing Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford with rugby star Maro Itoje during an interview with the Standard.
Williamson told the newspaper he had met Rashford, who had recently led a campaign to extend free school meals over Zoom.
He hadn’t.
Prior to his stint as education secretary, Williamson served in the Defence department in Theresa May’s cabinet – where he was sacked for allegedly leaking secure information
Until 2017, Williamson had served as chief whip in May’s government, during which time he kept a tarantula called Cronus in a glass box on his desk.
The unusual pet was used to keep MPs in line: “You have to look at different ways to persuade people to vote with the government” he told The Times, “and it’s great to have Cronus as part of the team.”
Despite his record in government, a knighthood for Williamson had been on the cards for some time – having displayed extreme loyalty to the prime minister throughout his time in government.
Williamson also ran Johnson’s successful campaign to succeed May as Conservative leader in 2019.
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