Gavin Williamson

Education secretary Gavin Williamson was first elected as the MP for South Staffordshire in 2010. Born in Scarborough in 1976, Williamson was educated at a comprehensive school and studied Social Sciences at the University of Bradford. He was involved with Conservative youth groups from an early age, becoming the penultimate chairman of Conservative Students. After graduating, his jobs included managerial positions at a fireplace manufacturer and a Staffordshire-based pottery firm. He was elected as a county councillor in North Yorkshire in 2001 but stood down in 2005 to contest the House of Commons seat of Blackpool North and Fleetwood. On that occasion, he was unsuccessful. Five years later, he was selected as the Conservative candidate for South Staffordshire and comfortably held the seat for the party. After his election, he became a member of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee and in 2011 was appointed parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to Hugo Swire, Minister of State for Northern Ireland. The following year, he became PPS to the secretary of state for Northern Ireland, Owen Paterson, and later for prime minister David Cameron. Following Cameron’s resignation, he acted as Theresa May’s campaign manager in the ensuing leadership contest and was appointed chief whip when she became prime minister. After the 2017 general election, Williamson was involved in negotiating the confidence and supply agreement with the DUP and was appointed as defence secretary in November 2017. A speech he made in 2019 outlining plans to send Britain’s new aircraft carrier to the Pacific led the Chinese Government to cancel trade talks with Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond. In May 2019 he was asked to resign after information was leaked from a National Security Council meeting. He refused to do so but was later sacked by Theresa May who said she had “compelling evidence” that Williamson was the source of the leak. Boris Johnson appointed Williamson as secretary of state for education in July 2019.