Baroness Morgan accuses Tories of ousting non-Conservative supporters

Baroness Sally Morgan  has hit back at the Conservatives following the announcement that Michael Gove will not be renewing her term as head of Ofsted. Her current term, which was due to end this month, will be extended to the autumn while a successor is found, but she will not be given a second spell.Lady Morgan, a Labour peer, said her removal was part of a pattern of non-Conservative supporters on bodies like the Arts Council and Charity Commission being replaced by Tories.

‘I am the latest of a fairly long list of people now who are non-Conservative supporters who are not being re-appointed. I think there is absolutely a pattern. It's extremely worrying,’ she told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

‘One of the really important things about public appointments is that they are made on the basis of merit and they are seen to be transparently made. I think there is something going on in the centre that's mitigating against that.

‘I think there is an absolutely determined effort from No 10 that Conservative supporters will be appointed to public bodies. I think that is an issue for the Cabinet Secretary and the Cabinet Office to look at.

‘It has been a quiet, quiet drip. I'm not talking about Labour people being replaced, I'm talking about non-Conservative supporters being replaced by Conservative supporters.

‘There is a lot of concern about it. Often they are people who have been working really well with their organisations and, indeed, with their host departments, so I do think this is coming from No 10. I don't think it is coming from individual departments.’

The surprise move has infuriated the Liberal Democrats, who are increasingly at odds with Mr Gove over education policy. Nick Clegg is believed to have complained to Sir Jeremy Heywood, the Cabinet Secretary, in an attempt to stop Tory ministers making what the Liberal Democrats regard as “party political” appointments to public bodies.

 
Mr Gove said: ‘I would like to record my thanks to Sally Morgan for her tremendous contribution to the work of Ofsted. She has brought great knowledge and insight, leading the board strongly through a period of significant change.’