Cabinet minister Bridget Phillipson accused by Labour insiders of “folding to the unions” on schools reforms
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EDUCATION Secretary Bridget Phillipson is under pressure from No10 amid a growing Labour backlash over her schools reforms. The Cabinet minister is introducing controversial laws attacking academy school freedoms - a move critics say will send education standards plummeting.
![[Bridget Phillipson, UK Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/secretary-state-education-minister-women-954249798.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
But several government sources say No10 has been left "blindsided" and angry at the scale of the backlash to the plan and believe Ms Phillipson could have handled it better. Tony Blair created academies - schools that are not under local authority control and have the freedom to set their own staff pay and curriculum.
But Ms Phillipson's Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will limit the freedoms of academies to set their own pay and pave the way for some to be taken back under council control. Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh has led the Labour backlash to the changes - and is calling for the PM to stick to the current system.
One government source said: “There is a feeling across government that she has folded to the teaching unions - they have always loathed academies. "But do we have to have this academies row again?". Another said: “It feels like there was no plan.”. Another senior party source said Ms Phillipson is "out of favour" with No10 because of the backlash.
The source said: "She is in the dog house - there is anger.". A Downing Street spokesman said it was “categorically untrue” that there was any disagreement over the Bill and they “fully support” it as drafted. Dame Siobhain has written to Sir Keir Starmer urging him to stick to the academies revolution.
