Minister is facing fresh calls to quit after fiasco

EDUCATION Secretary Gavin Williamson’s spectacular U-turn over exams results puts in jeopardy his role in the Cabinet for the second time of his career.

Boris Johnson revived his position as a top minister last year after the last prime minister, Theresa May, dismissed Mr Williamson as defence secretary for allegedly leaking security discussions.

But there are already murmurings that he should again be ousted for yesterday’s climbdown to base grades on teachers’ assessments in England rather than a controversial algorithm.

Conservative former minister George Freeman described the Government’s handling of grades as a “total shambles” that has “been so obviously coming for months” and suggested Mr Williamson may go in an upcoming reshuffle.

“Ultimately, the Prime Minister is in charge. And I think he will want to take firm control of this and get a grip and show that his government is taking the life chances of a generation of children seriously,” the Tory MP told Times Radio. “I’m told the Prime Minister’s, you know, planning to reshuffle in the autumn and I dare say he wants to take everything into account.”

Labour shadow minister Louise Haigh said Mr Williamson “must resign”, while the Liberal Democrats’ education spokeswoman Layla Moran was equally blunt in her assessment. “The point is this government is utterly incompetent. Gavin Williamson must go,” she told BBC News.

Bookmakers put Mr Williamson 2-1 favourite as the next Cabinet departure, while a Yougov poll before the grades announcement suggested 75% of Britons thought the government had handled the situation badly and 40% said he should resign.