Gillian Keegan currently heads up the Department for Education. (Picture: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)
The new academic term faced a turbulent start as thousands of students around the country experienced disruption over the discovery of potentially dangerous RAAC concrete in schools.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan recently stressed that the government would ‘spend whatever it takes’ to ensure that pupils are safe.
The Department of Education initially ordered over 100 schools to either partially or fully close just days before the start of the new school term upon discovering that the aerated concrete faced higher chances of structural collapse.
Currently heading up the DfE is Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, who found herself in the spotlight after a sweary outburst post-ITV interview saw her asking ‘Does anyone ever say, “You know what, you’ve done a f****** good job,” because everyone else has sat on their a*** and done nothing?’
Mrs Keegan has held several roles in government since joining parliament several years ago.
But just what is her background, and what jobs has she done?
Read on to find out more.
How old is Gillian Keegan and what did she do before politics?
Gillian Keegan is 55 years old and, before entering the political arena, Mrs Keegan predominantly worked in private business.
Born in Leigh, Lancashire, she attended a primary school in Yorkshire and a comprehensive secondary school in Knowsley, Merseyside – to this day, she still describes herself as a ‘proud scouser’.
Beginning her working life as an apprentice at Delco Electronics (part of General Motors) in Kirby, she would simultaneously study for a degree in Business Studies at Liverpool John Moores University.
Gillian Keegan would subsequently spend the next three decades working and living abroad (including eight years in Madrid, Spain), taking up roles in banking, manufacturing, and IT companies.
Before joining politics, she spent time as Chief Marketing Officer in a global company in the travel technology sector and in a position responsible for global customer sales and account management.
She returned to education in 2010, studying for a Sloan Fellowship master’s degree at London Business School.
What is Gillian Keegan’s political background?
Gillian Keegan first entered professional politics in October 2014, becoming elected as a local councillor.
She would go on to stand as the conservative parliamentary candidate in St Helens South and Whiston, Merseyside, but would come in second place.
Gillian would ultimately be elected as the Conservative MP for Chichester on June 8, 2017.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan arrives for a cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street. (Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Just a couple of months later, then-backbencher Gillian Keegan would be elected to the Public Accounts Select Committee in September 2017, the body responsible for scrutinising public spending and service delivery.
In December 2018, Mrs Keegan stepped down from the role in PASC to be appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Her Majesty’s Treasury, serving the Ministerial portfolio by then-Prime Minister Theresa May.
Over the next couple of years, Gillian Keegan would hold the role of PPS for several different departments, including at the Ministry of Defence, Home Office, and as the PPS to Matt Hancock at the Department for Health and Social Care.
Gillian first joined the Department for Education as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in February 2020, and, as the Minister in charge of Apprenticeships and Skills, she made history as the first-ever former apprentice to hold the position.
In September 2021, Gillian Keegan would be made the Minister of State at the Department for Health and Social Care before Prime Minister Liz Truss briefly appointed her to the Foreign Office as the Minister for Africa in 2022.
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She began her current role as the Secretary of State for Education after being appointed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in October 2022.
As Education Secretary, she attends cabinet and oversees many of the department’s operations, including early years and childcare, teacher recruitment and retention, the school curriculum, school improvement, and more.
According to theyworkforyou.com, Gillian Keegan has voted with her party on most issues and has never rebelled in the current parliament.
The Cabinet Minister recently made headlines for telling students they ‘shouldn’t be disappointed’ after a drop in the overall level of top grades for A Levels (though they remained higher than pre-pandemic levels) and telling Sky News employers ‘won’t ask you anything about your A-level grades in 10 years’ time’.
Who is Gillian Keegan’s husband and do they have children?
Gillian Keegan is married to her husband, Michael, and has two stepsons.
Mrs Keegan occasionally shares pictures of her family life on Instagram, recently sharing an image of her and her husband attending a day at the races at Goodwood Racecourse.
Michael is a director of a company that won a £1million IT contract linked to the schools rebuilding programme, the Mirror reported.
Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: ‘Yet again this week, the Education Secretary has serious questions to answer about her conduct. This appears to be a conflict of interest and eyebrows will be raised that the Keegans appear to have gained from a shrinking pot of school rebuilding money.
‘Gillian Keegan must come clean about any involvement she might have had in the award of this contract from which she and her family stood to benefit financially.’
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by the Education Secretary or her husband who were not involved in the bidding process.
The Department for Education said: ’Ministers had no involvement in the procurement process for these contracts, which were awarded in line with existing government commercial procedures.’
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The Education Secretary has been under fire during the RAAC concrete crisis.