Halfon has fully embraced chairing the House of Commons Education Select Committee in the last twelve months, refusing to sulk over his ministerial sacking 15 months ago. First, his condemnation of DfE over Toby Young’s chaotic appointment to the OfS Board was the straw that broke the camel’s back. No.10 couldn’t risk Halfon’s committee ambushing ministers live on TV by reading out Young’s most offensive tweets one-by-one. It was also the final excuse to shift Jo Johnson to DfT – if the PM needed one.
Second, Halfon’s Value for Money in Higher Education inquiry reports this autumn and is expected to be damning, judging by his grilling of witnesses in oral hearings on topics such as senior pay, teaching quality, adult and part-time enrolments, return on investment, and the impact of access funding. He has railed throughout against the HE’s “obsession” with academic degrees, so we should expect the committee will push for more active OfS intervention – despite the sector lobbying hard to stress the extent of existing technical, vocational and professional training.
And third, Halfon’s demand for a “skills revolution” shows a growing political consensus on expanding the HE in FE model. It’s in line with Treasury’s approach to industry strategy, boosting productivity and regional growth. And Halfon’s broader framing of lifelong learning as underpinning social justice (his so-called “ladder of opportunity”) cuts across the political spectrum. It’s what links his wider thinking – that GCSEs should be abolished, A levels replaced with a baccalaureate and undergraduates should study maths – regardless of their degree.
His return to frontbench might not be that far away either – given his tight personal and professional friendship with tipped potential future Tory leader Sajid Javid.