Schools minister Nick Gibb has publicly announced his support for Boris Johnson as the next Conservative party leader, thereby snubbing Nicky Morgan – the education secretary and his departmental boss – who this morning confirmed she is canvassing support for her own leadership bid.
In a tweet he wrote:
I'm backing Boris. Boris Johnson and Michael Gove are without doubt the right team to negotiate Brexit and unite our Party and country.
— Nick Gibb (@NickGibbUK) June 29, 2016
Gibb has served both Morgan and Gove at the education department. Between 2010 and 2012 he worked as minister for school reform under Gove but left after a reshuffle.
He returned in 2014 when Morgan was appointed to the education role after Gove made negative comments about teachers on a TV interview.
It is expected Morgan will remain in the education secretary role throughout the leadership campaign.
Gibb’s public support for Johnson and Gove now draws a line between himself and the education secretary which could make the implementation of education policy more fractious in the coming months.
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