Theresa May sacked Gavin Williamson from her Cabinet because she thought he leaked National Security Council secrets. He hotly denies ever doing so.
But today he cannot duck his responsibility for a greater crime – jeopardising the futures of hundreds of thousands of young people.
Their exams were cancelled months ago.
Mr Williamson had all that time to prepare an alternative way to assess them.
He failed that test abysmally and that is why he should go. The solution he came up with –only days before the results were announced – was no solution at all.
Exam regulator Ofqual is already dismantling his so-called “triple lock” promise for grades, adding to the chaos and confusion.
We accept that the changed conditions of Covid-19 mean there is a sharp learning curve for people in all walks of life, politics included.
We do not expect ministers to get absolutely everything right. We do expect them not to get absolutely everything wrong.
Nicola Sturgeon had a similar algorithm assessment system in Scotland. The moment results came out, she realised computers cannot decide grades, and scrapped it.
Gavin Williamson is either too stubborn or too stupid or both to do the same.
He intends to stick to his guns and inflict on GCSE students the same misery this week as A-level students are suffering now.
That is mad, bad and dangerous. He is working on the false premise that this is the only way to be fair to the classes of 2019 and 2021.
False, because Covid has hardly been fair to the class of 2020. Students cannot be marked on exams they never took, which is why teacher predictions are the best judge.
If Mr Williamson cannot see that then he is unfit to be in charge of our children’s education.
That is why he should now follow the advice he once gave to the Russians.
Go away and shut up.
We salute you
As we fight one world war – against an insidious killer virus – it is easy to forget the ending of another.
But today’s commemorations for VJ Day show that those who fought in the Second World War in Asia remain in our memory.
More than 71,000 British and Commonwealth lives were lost in the Far East’s humid jungles.
Tens of thousands more were put through unbearable suffering as PoWs.
It is only right we honour those who survived that unspeakable ordeal, as much as we honour those brave souls who did not.
Prince Charles led the tributes.
The Duchess of Cornwall and veteran Darbara Singh Bhullar, 97, laid wreaths.
The Queen sent a message. The nation paused for silence. And the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight roared overhead.
It was a fitting way to send a message to what was once called the Forgotten Army.
And that message is: You are not forgotten.
