Baroness Barran is to continue as a minister at the Department for Education in prime minister Rishi Sunak’s new government.
Lady Barran served as minister for the schools system from September last year and was reappointed by former prime minister Liz Truss. Though her portfolio in the new government has not yet been announced, it is expected that Lady Barran will continue to oversee school system reform, including the expansion of academies.
She was responsible for leading the government’s controversial Schools Bill through the House of Lords, where it is currently awaiting its third reading.
The controversial Bill, several key elements of which have already been cut following criticism in the House of Lords, is not expected to survive in its current state. Some in the sector have suggested that the proposed piece of legislation may be broken up into smaller bills to push through priority policies, or abandoned entirely.
Lady Barran’s reappointment follows the changing of all four MP roles in the DfE since Mr Sunak’s appointment last week.
A former skills minister, Gillian Keegan, was appointed education secretary, and Claire Coutinho has been appointed as a minister of state, alongside Nick Gibb and Robert Halfon.
