Gavin Williamson has once again demonstrated he’s the Cabinet’s dunce.
At the beginning of the week the Education Secretary was threatening legal action against councils who wanted to close schools early because of Covid.
Now he has decided that millions of secondary school children in England should delay their return after the Christmas break.
Without warning or consultation he has also announced plans for the mass testing of 5.5million pupils before they can return.
No thought has gone into the logistics of this, which was dumped on teachers on the last day before the Christmas break.
The unions correctly point out it is not possible to recruit and train people to carry out these tests before the start of the new term.
The suggestion that volunteers could do the work flies in the face of rules which require anyone working with children to be vetted.
Mr Williamson indicated he was not up to the job with the summer’s exams fiasco.
Now he has conclusively proved it.
Nail it now
Long queues of lorries waiting to embark at Dover show why it is so important we get a Brexit trade deal.
The tailbacks have been caused by firms stockpiling amid fears of no agreement.
This situation will only get worse if the UK and EU fail to break the deadlock.
It will not just mean increased checks and bureaucracy that will disrupt supply chains and damage trade.
The cost of no-deal will be felt by all, with fewer jobs, a weaker economy and less money available for public services.
With the country reeling from Covid, failure would be an act of utmost irresponsibility.
The PM must stop gambling with jobs and livelihoods and strain every sinew for a deal.
Hi Alex-ER
Her Majesty’s Christmas message will be available on Alexa for the first time.
So from now on we will all have to refer to the smart online listening device as the “Queen’s Speaker.”
