Gavin Williamson escapes a public dressing down from Tory MPs

Gavin Williamson rather generously did the sketch writers’ jobs for them this afternoon when he failed to hand his homework in on time for his first day of term. The Education Secretary gave a statement in the Commons on schools reopening – and ended up being scolded by opposition MPs for sending a very late ‘advance’ copy of his words, as is custom. The SNP’s Carol Monaghan rather acidly remarked that she just about had time to read it before asking her question, while Labour’s shadow education secretary Kate Green complained of a ‘summer of chaos, incompetence and confusion that has caused enormous stress’ to pupils, parents and teachers. Williamson’s apology for his late statement had the air of a pupil genuinely sorry he’d been caught out.

But as dressing downs go, this wasn’t particularly bruising for Williamson. Many Tory MPs are annoyed by his handling of the exams fiasco and the constant chopping and changing of what schools need to do to keep pupils safe.