Nick Gibb has been reappointed Minister for Education
(Picture: UK Government)Nick Gibb was appointed Minister of State in the Department for Education as part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s reshuffled Cabinet.
Robert Halfon has also been appointed as a Minister of State in the Department for Education, while Gillian Keegan has been made Secretary of State for Education.
Mr Gibb held the Education Minister role between July 2014 and September 2021 and was also previously schools minister.
But who is the MP and member of Mr Sunak’s Cabinet?
Who is Nick Gibb?
Mr Gibb was elected Conservative MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton in 1997.
As well as holding the role of Minister of State in the Department for Education, Mr Gibb served as Shadow Minister for Schools from 2005 until 2010, and as Minister of State for Schools from May 2010 until September 2012.
Before becoming an MP, he worked as a chartered accountant specialising in corporate taxation with KPMG.
He married his long-term partner, Michael Simmonds, in 2015 - the same year he publicly said he was gay.
On being reappointed Minister for Education, Mr Gibb said on Twitter: “An honour to be asked by the PM to return to the DfE.
“Looking forward to helping deliver the PM’s ambitious plans for ever higher standards in schools and world-class technical education.”
An honour to be asked by the PM to return to the DfE. Looking forward to helping deliver the PM’s ambitious plans for ever higher standards in schools and world class technical education.
— Nick Gibb (@NickGibbUK) October 27, 2022
Why was Nick Gibb fired from the Education Department?
Mr Gibb lost his role in the Department of Education in September 2021, as part of former prime minister Boris Johnson’s Cabinet reshuffle.
He had worked at the department for nine years and oversaw curriculum reforms.
At the time, Mr Gibb said on Twitter: “Congratulations to Nadhim Zahawi who will do a superb job in building on the reforms of the last ten years.
“I am sad not to be continuing as Schools Minister. It has been a privilege to play a part in helping improve the life chances of the next generation.”
According to Schools Week, Mr Gibb is considered to be a “divisive figure,” regarded as “somewhat of a hero to fans of traditional education methods, he is widely disliked by progressives”.
It is expected that in his return to the Minister for Education role, Mr Gibb will cover schools.
Mr Sunak is reportedly planning education reforms, including a new “British Baccalaureate” and a network of elite technical institutions.
