secretary

Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, welcomed the new emphasis on colleges, saying they had been "the forgotten heroes of the education system" for too long.

There has been some discomfort among Labour MPs over the home secretary's plans to make it harder for migrants to gain permanent settlement status in the UK.

The Unite general secretary criticised what she said was a net zero plan for jobs rather than carbon, adding that Chancellor Rachel Reeves should change course by growing the UK economy through investment in jobs.

Lammy, who was until recently the UK's foreign secretary, responded to the vote.

Up until 16 March 2020, focus had been on keeping schools open, so there were no contingency plans in place, according to evidence given by the former education secretary Gavin Williamson.