Bridget Phillipson has the guts to face GB News; now she must stand up to Keir Starmer

There comes a point in any career when you have to decide whether you are there to please the system or to shape it. Within too many people who come into public life from state-school backgrounds, there is an ingrained instinct to be accommodating, helpful and agreeable. For women, this is even worse – we have been raised to be careful, not to disrupt, and never to challenge. This means authority becomes internalised: respect becomes deference, and deference holds us back. This is why I recognise and despair at Bridget Phillipson’s blind loyalty to Keir Starmer whilst all the blokes position themselves for attack. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say I despise Philipson’s approach to education – especially the VAT on private schools, which has simply left more places for the thick kids of billionaires – but I beg her to recognise such ruinous self-abnegation. “Get a grip, woman!” I find myself yelling at the TV, “You’re not Dolly Parton! Stop standing by your man!” From beneath her sensible bob, Phillipson says: “It’s a shame that Wes has decided to take this step... We have work to do... We are getting on with the job of running the country." It is the classic don’t-rock-the-boat deputy head girl at the open day showing round parents and failing to mention that their child will be bullied on day one. I despise her education department's changes, including their obsession with increasing technology in classrooms and viewing every child as in need of a special needs label. However, she is one of the very few Cabinet members who has the cajones to talk to GB News on a regular basis, so I respect that – now it’s time to put those metaphorical appendages on the line. To understand Bridget Phillipson, you must see her as...