Maajid Nawaz attacks "incompetent" government for standing over A-level fiasco

15 August 2020, 13:43 | Updated: 16 August 2020, 14:42

Maajid Nawaz attacks "incompetent" government over A-level results

Making the case that the cabinet is filled with yes men, Maajid Nawaz insisted that Boris Johnson takes a long hard look at who he has on his front benches.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has told students that they can appeal their results for free amid uproar over students being downgraded by an algorithm in their A-levels.

Maajid Nawaz questioned the government's approach to the results, wondering "why are they appearing so incompetent."

He told listeners that he is "genuinely disturbed on behalf of our students and moved by their plight," as dejected students and parents have been outspoken on how they've been affected by the exam strategy.

Maajid said that Boris Johnson may be facing a situation where he has to reshuffle his cabinet. "If you surround yourself by lackeys," he said, "you'll have your ego rubbed."

On the flipside of that point, Maajid noted that if government if filled with people who are tasked with agreeing with the PM irrespective of their own opinion, "you'll be lacking in competent people to run a country."

"Competence is the issue now," Maajid warned.

"Boris Johnson needs to be taking a serious look at his back bench and front bench," he said, and if there are better suited people to roles in government then the PM must "put them in the cabinet instead of shoving people in there just because they agree with you."

"If you did that, then that's a bit like downgrading student's exam results because you don't like them," Maajid suggested.

He called on employers to have sympathy for students of the 2020 class to have sympathy for them.

"If their exam results came out in 2020, don't forget that, don't forget what's happened and give them a chance."

"People have been affected due to reasons far far bigger than them."