John Ramsay Swinney is a Scottish politician currently serving as Deputy First Minister of Scotland since 2014 and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery since 2021. He was the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2000 to 2004. He served as Finance Secretary from 2007 to 2016 and as Education Secretary from 2016 to 2021. Swinney has also served as the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Perthshire North since 2011, having previously represented North Tayside from 1999 to 2011.
The secretary of state for education, also referred to as the education secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the work of the Department for Education. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, 14th in the ministerial ranking.
The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) was a United Kingdom government department between 2001 and 2007, responsible for the education system as well as children's services in England.
John Yorke Denham is an English politician who served as Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills from 2007 to 2009 and Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from 2009 to 2010. A member of the Labour Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Southampton Itchen from 1992 to 2015.
Gordon Marsden is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Blackpool South from 1997 to 2019.
Parliamentary Under Secretaries of State is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the UK government, immediately junior to a Minister of State, which is itself junior to a Secretary of State.
The Minister for Higher Education and Further Education, Youth Employment and Training is a Junior ministerial post in the Education Department of the Scottish Government. As a result, the Minister does not attend the Scottish Cabinet. The post was created in May 2007 after the appointment of the Scottish National Party minority administration and the Minister reports to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, who has overall responsibility for the portfolio, and is a member of cabinet. The Minister has specific responsibility for further education and colleges, higher education and universities, science and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics, student funding, youth work, and widening access to education.
Shirley-Anne Somerville is a Scottish politician who has served as Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills since 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Dunfermline since 2016, having previously served as an additional member for the Lothians region from 2007 to 2011.
Victoria Grace Ford is a British politician, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Chelmsford since 2017. A member of the Conservative Party, she is a former investment banker, district councillor, and Member of the European Parliament for the East of England (2009–2017).
Joseph Edmund Johnson, Baron Johnson of Marylebone, is a British politician who was Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation from July to September 2019, as well as previously from 2015 to 2018. A member of the Conservative Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Orpington from 2010 to 2019. He currently sits in the House of Lords. His older brother, Boris Johnson, has been Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2019.
Christopher James Skidmore, is a British politician, and author of popular history. He served as Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation from December 2018 to July 2019, and from September 2019 to February 2020.
Sir Gavin Alexander Williamson is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Staffordshire since 2010. A member of the Conservative Party, Williamson previously served in Theresa May's Cabinet as Secretary of State for Defence from 2017 to 2019, and as Secretary of State for Education under Boris Johnson from 2019 to 2021.
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Education since 5 July 2022. She previously served as Minister of State for Higher and Further Education from 2020 to 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Chippenham since 2015.
Gillian Keegan is a British politician and businesswoman serving as Minister of State for Care and Mental Health since 2021. A member of the Conservative Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Chichester since 2017.
T Levels are technical-based qualifications in England developed in collaboration with employers and businesses so that the content meets the needs of industry and prepares students for work, further training or study. T Levels are two-year courses that can be studied by 16-18 year olds after finishing their GCSEs. T Levels are based on the same standards as apprenticeships, designed by employers and approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. They are the responsibility of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Apprenticeships and Skills in the Department for Education.
The Minister of State for Care and Mental Health is a mid-level position in the Department of Health and Social Care in the British government. It is currently held by Gillian Keegan MP who took the office on 16 September 2021. The minister often deputises for the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care alongside the Minister of State for Health. The minister is in charge of social care in England.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Apprenticeships and Skills is a junior ministerial position in the Department for Education in the British government. It is was held by Alex Burghart MP, who took office on 17 September 2021, until his resignation on 6 July 2022.
Boris Johnson carried out the second significant reshuffle of his majority government from 15 September to 18 September 2021, having last done so in February 2020.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Vaccines and Public Health is a position in the Department of Health and Social Care in the Government of the United Kingdom. The minister is responsible for COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom. The role has sometimes been known as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Minister of State for Public Health.
