Boris Johnson has appointed privately educated MP Robin Walker as the new schools minister today, according to reports, following the departure of Nick Gibb yesterday evening.

Mr Walker has served as a minister in the Northern Ireland office since 2020 and worked previously as parliamentary under secretary of state there. 

And he previously was the parliamentary private secretary to former education secretary Nicky Morgan.

He was also at the Department for Exiting the European Union from July 2016 to July 2019.

Delighted to be appointed by @borisjohnson to join @Nadhimzahawi at @educationgovuk as Minister for Schools - an enormous challenge and a huge opportunity to level up & support the next generation https://t.co/53zgwwgxSc

- Robin Walker (@WalkerWorcester) September 16, 2021

He attended the fee-paying St Paul’s School in London and studied ancient and modern history at Balliol College, Oxford.

Robin Walker: the new schools minister

On social media, Mr Walker wrote that he was “delighted” to have been appointed by prime minister Boris Johnson to join Nadhim Zahawi, the new secretary of state, at the Department for Education.

He said the role was “an enormous challenge and a huge opportunity to level up and support the next generation”.

Mr Walker has been the Conservative MP for Worcester since 2010. 

His social media biography describes him as a “One Nation Tory” and “Worcester MP since 2010 speaking up 4 #worldclassworcs schools & skills”.

Other new faces at the DfE include Will Quince, Conservative MP for Colchester and a former work and pensions minister, who will replace Vicky Ford as the new children’s minister; and Alex Burghart, MP for Brentwood and Ongar and a former parliamentary private secretary to the prime minister.