Scarborough-born MP Sir Gavin Williamson returns to Government as part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's new cabinet

The former Education Secretary has been appointed as a minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office as the new Prime Minister selects a fresh administration to replace that of Liz Truss.

Sir Gavin was Education Secretary between July 2019 and September 2021 and is known for mishandling the GCSE and A-Level exams fiasco in 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He was sacked after widespread criticism of his role in the matter. In 2019, he was sacked as Defence Secretary following an inquiry into a leak from the National Security Council.

In March, the MP for South Staffordshire received a knighthood, which was reportedly part of a ploy to keep three Conservative MPs “quiet” as part of an operation to keep Boris Johnson as Prime Minister following the Partygate scandal – according to The Sunday Times.

The week before his sacking as Education Secretary, Sir Gavin apologised after confusing England footballer Marcus Rashford with rugby star Maro Itoje, wrongly claiming he had met the former while in fact he had spoken over Zoom to the latter.

Sir Gavin was raised in Scarborough by Labour-supporting parents and has previously told The Scarborough News that many members of his family still live in the area.

His father is reported to have worked at the local council and his mother at a job centre.

He attended East Ayton Primary, Raincliffe School, and Scarborough Sixth Form College before studying social sciences at Bradford University.

In 2001, while still only 24, he was elected as a North Yorkshire county councillor in the Seamer and Ayton ward, before leaving the council in 2005 to pursue his Parliamentary ambitions.

He was elected Conservative MP for South Staffordshire in May 2010, and has previously served as Chief Whip.

He was widely credited with securing the vast support for Mr Johnson among Conservative MPs during the party's 2019 leadership contest when he served as Chief Whip.