London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Partygate undermines teaching of honesty and decency, says union chief

Partygate undermines teaching of honesty and decency, says union chief

Headteachers’ leader to accuse government of failure of leadership
The leader of a headteachers’ union will claim the government is undermining the teaching of decency and honesty in schools, after “misleading” the country over Partygate and showing a lack of compassion towards refugees.

Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), will accuse the government of an “absolute failure of political leadership”, which is leading to a breakdown in trust among young people.

In a damning speech to the NAHT’s annual conference on Friday, Whiteman will say that the prime minister’s behaviour over Partygate is “unforgivable”, and that the government’s failings are making it harder for schools to produce well-rounded young people who are ready to fulfil their role in society.

“The basics taught in school are not how to write and how to count,” Whiteman will tell delegates. “The first things are self-regulation, good behaviour, decency, honesty and integrity. Things that are hard to observe in the UK government right now.
“I am not that angry that we all obeyed the rules at the most desperate of times while our leaders partied,” he will tell NAHT members, who are gathering in Telford this weekend. “In the grand scheme of things, the offence of having a glass of wine and a slice of cake is minor.

“But for the prime minister of the country to mislead us about it, repeatedly, is unforgivable, and clearly in breach of the standards of our democratic institutions,” Whiteman will say.

“If we cannot trust our leaders to tell the truth about cake, how can we trust that we will be told the truth about war? How can we trust that we will be told the truth about refugees, how can we trust that we will be told the truth about the economy, the progress of the pandemic … or the government’s ambitions for education?

“It matters because young people can see this playing out before their very eyes. And schools’ efforts to make sure young people understand the basics of self-regulation, good behaviour, decency, honesty and integrity become so much more difficult against that backdrop.”

Whiteman is also expected to attack the government’s record on refugees and to reject recent ministerial interference over political impartiality and how schools discuss these issues with their pupils.

“Like the rest of us, young people see on the television every day the appalling scenes from Ukraine. And before that, the difficult scenes from Afghanistan and the difficult scenes from Syria.

“They see refugees, desperate humans, arriving on our shores in rubber boats from France. And they also see the complete lack of compassion, the complete lack of humanity demonstrated by our government in the way we deal with these issues. Young people are not stupid.”

A government spokesperson said: “Since the onset of the Covid pandemic we have supported schools with almost £5bn for education recovery. Alongside this we are delivering on our manifesto commitment to raise teachers starting salaries to £30,000.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×