Damian Hinds has been appointed as shadow education secretary, the Conservative Party has confirmed.
Mr Hinds was previously schools minister from November 2023 until last week’s general election, in which he kept the parliamentary seat of East Hampshire that he has held since 2010.
The Conservatives have announced an interim front bench which is expected to be in place until the party elects a new leader.
The appointment comes after former education secretary Gillian Keegan lost her parliamentary seat in Chichester to the Liberal Democrats.
Mr Hinds took on the schools brief in November last year after former minister Nick Gibb resigned.
He oversaw the Department for Education’s rollout of a toolkit to help schools spot pupil absence trends. During his time as schools minister, the DfE also expanded its attendance hubs. Mr Hinds told Tes at the time that pupils with “mild anxiety” should not be kept off school.
Former education secretary in shadow role
He was also education secretary from 2018 to 2019 when Theresa May was prime minister. Mr Hinds being replaced in July 2019 by Gavin Williamson in a reshuffle instigated by Boris Johnson.
Having replaced Justine Greening as education secretary in January 2018, Mr Hinds’ time in post was not marked by any major reforms, although the 2019 teacher recruitment and retention strategy was published under his watch.
He also slimmed down the school accountability system - scrapping the floor and coasting standards - and promoted character education and edtech.
After being elected to Parliament in 2010, he sat on the Commons Education Select Committee for two years and later chaired the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Social Mobility.
Out of the elected DfE ministers in place before last week’s poll, Mr Hinds was the only one to hold on to their seat.
Ms Keegan, former children’s minister David Johnston and former skills minister Luke Hall were voted out.
A number of other former DfE ministers also lost their seats, including former prime minister Liz Truss (an under-secretary of state for education from 2012 to 2014), former education secretary Michelle Donelan and former schools minister Jonathan Gullis.
Labour ministers appointed
Mr Hinds’ appointment comes after the new DfE ministerial team was confirmed by the Labour government yesterday.
The latest appointees will work under education secretary Bridget Phillipson, whose role was confirmed last week.
Former chair of the Labour Party Anneliese Dodds has joined the DfE as minister of state for women and equalities.
Jacqui Smith, who was schools minister under Tony Blair, is returning to government as a House of Lords peer covering higher education, further education and skills.
Former shadow schools minister Catherine McKinnell has been appointed as an education minister, although her brief is yet to be confirmed.
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