PM KNIFES TOP EDUCATION MANDARIN

He’s sacked after exams fiasco – as Boris tells pupils ‘mutant algorithm’ is to blame for the mess

BORIS Johnson last night forced out the top official at the Department for Education over the exams shambles.

The Prime Minister told Permanent Secretary Jonathan Slater there was ‘a need for fresh leadership’.

His departure came hot on the heels of the abrupt resignation of Chief Regulator Sally Collier, in what insiders dubbed ‘the night of the long protractors’.

However, while the two most senior officials in the exams controversy have gone, the beleaguered Education Secretary Gavin Williamson will remain in post.

Mr Johnson yesterday tried to sidestep personal blame for the exam results fiasco that will leave tens of thousands of young people unable to attend their university of choice this year.

Addressing pupils at Castle Rock school in Coalville, Leicestershire, he said: ‘I’m afraid your grades were almost derailed by a mutant algorithm.

‘I know how stressful that must have been for pupils up and down the country.

‘I’m very, very glad that it has finally been sorted out.’

Mr Slater is expected to receive a six-figure payoff after being forced out.

He became the fourth permanent secretary to leave his post this year.

Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill is also on his way out this month after losing a power struggle with the PM’s chief aide Dominic Cummings. A Government source last night said Mr Johnson decided Mr Slater had to go last month before the exams fiasco unfolded.

They said there were ‘broader questions about his ability to deliver on the Government’s ambitious education agenda’.

But critics accused ministers of trying to deflect the blame.

Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green described the removal of Mr Slater as ‘shameless’. She said: ‘Responsibility for this shambles lies squarely with Downing Street and the Department for Education, who set out how they wanted the algorithm to work and were warned weeks in advance of issues, but repeatedly refused to address the problems they had created.’

Dave Penman, head of the First Division Association of senior civil servants, accused the PM of ‘scapegoating’ officials. He said: ‘This administration will throw civil service leaders under the bus without a moment’s hesitation to shield ministers from any kind of accountability.

‘Those who have dedicated their lives to public service are being discarded without hesitation to keep scrutiny from the Government’s door.’

Speculation had been mounting about Mr Slater’s future after another mandarin was drafted in to sort out the dual messes of exams and getting schools back in September. Susan Acland- Hood was appointed Second Permanent Secretary earlier this month and will now serve as Acting Permanent Secretary. A former boss of the Courts and Tribunals Service, she is tipped for the top job on a permanent basis.

Mr Slater, who was on over £160,000, held the post since 2016. He will stand down on September 1, in advance of the end of his tenure in spring 2021.

The Cabinet Office will appoint his successor within weeks.

Mr Williamson said: ‘I would like to thank Jonathan Slater for his commitment to public service, including over four years spent as Permanent Secretary.’ Another permanent secretary to go this year was Sir Philip Rutnam, who left the Home Office in January after accusing Home Secretary Priti Patel of bullying.

Sir Simon McDonald said in June he was leaving the Foreign Office after allegedly being targeted by No 10 for his pro-EU views. And Sir Richard Heaton announced earlier this summer he was standing down at the Ministry of Justice.

Mr Cummings has vowed to shake up the civil service, saying a ‘hard rain’ is coming.

‘Throwing officials under the bus’