See me! Grammar trouble for new Education Secretary who dismissed spelling tests at school as 'ridiculous'

Published: 00:37, 24 July 2026 | Updated: 00:49, 24 July 2026 New Education Secretary Lucy Powell – who once branded primary school spelling tests 'ridiculous' – has been mocked for her own spelling mistakes. The Labour deputy leader tweeted that she was 'thrilled the be appointed Education Secretary'.  Tories posted a version of her post on X with corrections in red ink, pointing out a typo in the first line and criticising her grammar in the second. The mock marking came after comments resurfaced that Ms Powell made as a backbencher in an interview with Tes magazine, formerly the Times Educational Supplement, in 2019.  In it she called the spelling assessments introduced by the Tories 'ridiculous' and claimed they were used to 'micro-manage' children.  She also said pupils should not be at risk of failing at English, maths or science because they had spelt 'a couple of things' incorrectly.  New Education Secretary Lucy Powell – who once branded primary school spelling tests 'ridiculous' – has been mocked for her own spelling mistakes. Tories posted a version of her post on X with corrections in red ink, pointing out a typo in the first line and criticising her grammar in the second She added: 'It's gone too far with ridiculous Spag [spelling, punctuation and grammar] tests in primary schools or pupils failing exams if they spell a couple of things wrong.' She added: 'If you're a teacher who is then being judged on the number of kids who pass a Spag test or a really hard new GCSE but you know that those kids aren't actually being fed properly or not being clothed, then it's not a great atmosphere, and it can feel a bit draconian.' Ms Powell has said Labour should 'ensure' fee-paying schools with charitable status should no longer receive tax breaks.  Keir Starmer's government put VAT on school fees, with more than 100 independent schools closing since then.