The ex Apprenticeships Minister Robert Halfon was asked to leave by the PM and revealed she did not give a reason for her decision, adding: “The Prime Minister has to make these decisions, I wasn’t really given a reason”.
The Harlow MP was one of four ministers moved on by the Prime Minister in a post-general election reshuffle. It has yet to be confirmed which will take over the apprenticeships and skills post from Robert Halfon.
Halfon, who took up the role of Apprenticeships and Skills Minister from Nick Boles In July 2016, is well known for his passion for Further Education and spent his first year in the job visiting many providers across the country.
The former chancellor would not be drawn on suggestions his closeness to Mr Osborne may have accounted for his sacking, telling the Press Association:
“I don’t want to get involved in any of that, I mean she appointed me after she became leader last year and it was an honour to do it.”
Mr Halfon also said he “loved the job” and had an “absolute passion” for apprenticeships and skills. He tweeted to say:
He said he visited “outstanding” apprentices up and down the country, that he was proud to help deliver a record 900,000 apprenticeships and to have passed the Technical and Further Education Act.
Mr Halfon said apprenticeships should be the Conservative parties “major number one offering” to young people to counter Labour’s pledge to scrap university tuition fees.
He added:
“One thing I’m not going to do is I’m not the kind of person to start criticising the Prime Minister but I do believe that we need to start offering things to young people and one of those things is apprenticeships, technical skills, and to give them that ladder.
“We are the party of the ladder.
Rebecca joined the HRreview editorial team in January 2016. After graduating from the University of Sheffield Hallam in 2013 with a BA in English Literature, Rebecca has spent five years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past she has been part of the editorial teams at Sleeper and Dezeen and has founded her own arts collective.