32 Facts About Gillian Keegan

Gillian Keegan is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Education from 2022 to 2024.

Gillian Keegan previously served as Minister of State for Care and Mental Health from 2021 to 2022, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Africa from September to October 2022.

Gillian Keegan was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Apprenticeships and Skills in the February 2020 reshuffle by Boris Johnson.

Gillian Keegan was demoted to Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Africa when Liz Truss was appointed prime minister in September 2022.

Gillian Keegan Gibson was born in Leigh, Lancashire, to an office manager father and a mother who did secretarial work.

Gillian Keegan was the only pupil to get 10 O-Levels at her school.

Gillian Keegan started her career aged 16 as an apprentice at the AC Delco motor vehicle components factory in Kirkby.

Gillian Keegan then studied Business Studies at Liverpool John Moores University, graduating with a bachelor's degree.

Gillian Keegan graduated with a Master of Science in Strategy and Leadership from the London Business School in 2011.

Gillian Keegan has said that it was her experiences of trade unionism and the Militant-controlled Liverpool City Council while working in Kirkby in her youth during the 1980s that convinced her to support the Conservative Party.

Gillian Keegan has said that this demonstrated the power of the LBS network.

Gillian Keegan was elected as a councillor for the Rogate ward on Chichester District Council in 2014.

Gillian Keegan was appointed cabinet member for commercial services in May 2015.

Gillian Keegan stood down as a councillor in February 2018, once elected to Parliament.

Gillian Keegan left the position in September 2017, having been elected to Parliament.

Gillian Keegan was selected as the Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Chichester in May 2017.

In February 2019, Gillian Keegan was appointed as MP Apprenticeship Ambassador by Anne Milton, with responsibility to support apprenticeship schemes and promote them both within Parliament and to businesses within the UK, working alongside the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network consisting of various advocates of apprenticeship schemes.

Gillian Keegan endorsed Rory Stewart during the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election.

Gillian Keegan was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to HM Treasury in September 2018.

Gillian Keegan became PPS to the Home Secretary in May 2019.

Gillian Keegan became PPS to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in September 2019.

In February 2020, Gillian Keegan was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Apprenticeships and Skills, a junior ministerial role at the Department for Education, and was the first former apprentice to hold the office.

Gillian Keegan defended herself by stating that she was not the minister responsible for A-level and GCSE qualifications.

Gillian Keegan said that although she had been the duty minister for the first two weeks of summer recess, she had obtained special permission to take her government computer with her to continue working during this period.

Gillian Keegan again endorsed Sunak in the October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election and was appointed Secretary of State for Education.

Gillian Keegan was sworn as a member of the Privy Council on 27 October 2022.

On 5 January 2023, Gillian Keegan represented the British government at the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI.

In July 2023, Gillian Keegan was reported to have suggested that headteachers should collect absent pupils from home in order to return them to school.

Gillian Keegan later apologised for using profanity and described it as "off the cuff" and "unnecessary".

Gillian Keegan said that she did not expect to be personally thanked for her performance and that it was instead a reference to the Department for Education's "leadership role" in the crisis.

Michael Gillian Keegan is a former Head of Fujitsu UK and Ireland, appointed in 2014.

Gillian Keegan later had a role as a crown representative to the Cabinet Office, managing cross-government relationships with BAE Systems as a strategic supplier to the Government.