As cuts to Universal Credit threaten to force 800,000 British people into poverty, no amount of cabinet shuffling will distract us from the real-world impact of Tory incompetence.
Students and young people want politicians with the experience and understanding to prioritise wellbeing, create a fairer education system and provide stability in an uncertain future. This new batch of Boris Johnson’s unqualified accomplices will fail to provide this.
Nadhim Zahawi’s promotion from Vaccines Minister to Secretary of State for Education is seemingly a reward for a successful vaccination programme, whilst the NHS staff who deserve this credit are pushed far beyond expectations by violent underfunding. Zahawi will balance the job alongside his property empire, with his background as chief strategy officer for an oil company.
The Young Greens resolutely reject interference in our education system by those with personal interests in the successes and profits of the fossil fuel industry. The Green Recovery we so desperately need will never be led by those who line their pockets with the dividends of environmental destruction. Education policy must be made by professionals with young people’s interests at the forefront, not by a privately-educated millionaire who once claimed taxpayer money to heat his riding stables.
With around 60% of the new cabinet being privately educated– in comparison to 7% of the UK population- Tory elites continue to serve the interests of their wealthy friends above the needs of the public at this volatile time of recovery. Three-quarters of ministers being white and only one-quarter female indicates more of the same stale leadership that has defined the politics of the past decade.
The Young Greens will continue to resist Tory rule and fight for young people’s futures, and we will win. As the Tories head to their party conference in two weeks, we will be paying them a visit– and we want you to join us.