GAVIN Williamson is “wetting himself” about being sacked as UK Education Secretary, it has been claimed.
The Tory minister is reportedly facing the axe in a Cabinet reshuffle later this year after a string of controversies – but is said to be fighting back against Number 10 with threats of his own.
According to the Times, Boris Johnson is considering replacing him with the equalities minister Kemi Badenoch, who is popular in the Conservative Party for her attacks on "woke" campaigners.
Williamson, a former chief whip who ran Johnson's 2019 leadership campaign, is however said to be fighting to keep his place in the Cabinet.
The paper said he has been telling colleagues he "knows where the bodies are" in a thinly veiled threat that he would be a dangerous enemy to have on the back benches.
The Tory minister is reportedly eyeing up a role as leader of the Commons, a more junior position, to ensure he remains part of the Cabinet.
A Conservative MP told the Times: “He is wetting himself about getting the sack.
“He keeps telling people he knows where the bodies are and [the] PM is too weak to sack him.”
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Williamson was widely criticised over last year's A-levels fiasco when the Government used an algorithm to "moderate" the results only to later back track in the face of widespread protests.
The Tory minister again raised eyebrows on this year’s results day after claiming he couldn’t remember his own A-level results.
Despite vividly recalling the day 27 years ago when he received his grades, Williamson told LBC Radio that we couldn’t remember what they actually were.
“I didn’t get three A*s, it’s fair to say,” he told host Nick Ferrari.
“I have forgotten, it is so long ago. It is 27 years ago.”
Williamson also faced criticism recently after suggesting that universities should not be charging full tuition fees if they are not "delivering what students expect".
The Education Secretary said the Government expects all universities to be moving back to delivering face-to-face teaching, including lectures, unless there are "unprecedented reasons".
Jo Grady, general secretary of the UCU, replied: "Gavin Williamson is the person most responsible for the disruption and dissatisfaction experienced by students during the pandemic and university staff picked up the pieces of his disastrous mismanagement.
"Williamson should reflect on his own failings before denigrating the excellent online provision staff have provided."
She added: "Sadly, the secretary of state has clearly not learnt any lessons and is yet again attacking university staff, peddling damaging and false narratives about the quality of online learning, and recklessly encouraging managers to ignore health and safety concerns to protect university finances.
"Instead of threatening universities with a fee reduction for putting health and safety first during a pandemic, the Government should be investing in higher education so universities aren't reliant on fees."
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