A Conservative minister said to have concerns about plans to open new grammar schools has resigned.
Lord Jim O’Neill, the former treasury minister who was appointed by George Osborne to steer the government’s northern powerhouse policy, also intends to move to the non-partisan cross benches in the House of Lords.
The former Goldman Sachs chair told the prime minister he considered that a key part of his role in government – achieving a UN agreement on antimicrobial resistance – had “come to its natural end”, but he is also said to be “annoyed” by Theresa May’s plan for new grammar schools.
Lord O'Neill resigns as infrastructure minister. Annoyed by Hinkley review, Northern Powerhouse "wobble" and grammar school policy, am told.
— Jim Pickard 🐋 (@PickardJE) September 23, 2016
The Financial Times reports that O’Neill is a board member of the Sutton Trust, which has criticised plans to increase selection in England, and also chairs the Shine Trust, which helps disadvantaged children and teenagers.
The prime minister Theresa May is already facing opposition to her proposals from within her party, but O’Neill’s decision to stand down could represent the first resignation linked to the grammar schools policy.
Two of his fellow non-exec directors at the DfE were Paul Marshall and Theodore Agnew. These two are trustees of the EPI which has just released the report today about grammar schools not increasing social mobility. So yes, almost certainly linked to that.