My statement on Boris Johnson's evidence before the COVID inquiry

Boris Johnson today labelled former Education Secretary Gavin Williamson’s efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic ‘heroic.’ There are many words I could use to describe it, but that certainly is not one of them.

In fact, it is frankly insulting to the true heroes of the pandemic: the teachers and doctors, nurses and key workers who put their lives on the line to keep crucial public services going.

From duff algorithms that ruined young people’s dreams of further education, to crucial development lost in early years, Johnson’s effort to gloss over his government’s total failure to plan for schools in 2020 is yet another kick in the teeth to the British public.