Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has not ruled out a future bid to become Prime Minister – while stressing she is currently backing Keir Starmer and 'getting on with her job'.
The minister was in Birmingham addressing a gathering of 300 primary school leaders over concerning levels of pupil absence in some schools. She spoke afterwards to BirminghamLive and was asked about the imminent challenge to the leadership of the PM and recent resignations from the Government.
The gun is expected to be fired on a challenge to the Starmer leadership by Labour's Andy Burnham if he succeeds in his quest to become an MP again. Burnham, currently Greater Manchester mayor, is hoping voters will return him as MP for Makerfield on Thursday in a by-election and, if he succeeds, he has made clear he has his sights set on Number 10.
Former health secretary Wes Streeting and Birmingham Selly Oak MP Al Carns have so far indicated they intend to throw their hats into the ring if a challenge is mounted. Both have quit their government roles in readiness.
But Phillipson told us she retained her faith in Sir Keir despite the flurry of recent resignations that also included defence secretary John Healey and safeguarding minister Jess Phillips, Birmingham Yardley, from his front bench. She admitted the last few weeks had been 'tough' for the government.
On Carns' Resignation and Defence Funding
Asked about Carns' scathing resignation letter and the call for more funding to be allocated to defence spending, she said: 'I think what Al is saying demonstrates the range of challenges we as a government are facing. We have been in power for less than two years but had years and years, more than a decade, of the Conservative government not investing in education, not doing what was necessary in terms of keeping our country safe...and we have a lot of catching up to do. I am proud we are investing more in our schools and in support for families and alongside that we are delivering the biggest increase in defence funding since the Cold War. It is clear there is more to do on this front. I don't think it has to be a choice between one (department) or the other.'
She added: 'We confront a lot of difficult challenges. That is why alongside investment in schools we are spending a lot of money supporting families. That money could go directly into schools but actually if you speak to many of the school leaders here, yes they want funding for their schools, but they also want better funding around families because too many of those challenges (facing children) have already become big before children even arrive at school.' She mentioned food poverty, rising costs, work challenges and high numbers of children in B&Bs and temporary accommodation as contributory factors.
On Ministerial Resignations and Leadership Pressure
Asked about the recent ministerial resignations, dire local election results and the pressure on the Starmer government, she added: 'I'm not going to pretend the last few weeks have been easy – they have been tough weeks for all of us. It is a real shame we have lost such brilliant colleagues like Jess and Al, who have contributed so much and have so much to offer. But my job every day is to focus on providing better life chances for children in our country, that is what I am focussed on, whether it is support for children with SEND, support for families, or attendance, that's my job and that's my focus. I don't want there to be a leadership challenge and I am behind our Prime Minister Keir Starmer in delivering what this country needs.'
But asked if she would join a leadership battle, she added: 'In terms of longer term, and what the future holds, never say never. It is not a great idea in life to rule things out. But I've got a big enough job on my hands now trying to make sure families get the support they need and in driving up standards in our schools.'
Phillipson's tone around the leadership challenge was less defensive than when asked about it a month ago, when she told Sky News that Labour MPs would be wrong to remove Starmer, even though voters had given the party a 'real kicking' at the local elections ballot box and people feel 'bitterly let down'.
Focus on School Attendance in Birmingham
Phillipson, MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, was in Birmingham to address a conference organised as part of the Government's ambitions to raise standards across schools and share best practice. The event focussed on primary school attendance, amid concern that rates have not yet returned to pre-Covid levels, with too many children still missing significant chunks of their days in school.
In Birmingham primary schools, absence rates are significantly higher than the national rate, especially for persistent absence, and Birmingham is ranked 149 out of 151 local authorities on attendance for 5-11 year olds. Some schools are successfully turning the dial through a range of initiatives.
During the daylong conference at Villa Park, school leaders shared examples of best practice including how they turned things around by incentivising pupils, encouraging parents and coming up with novel ways to get anxious or dissenting students back into the classroom.
