Oral Answers to Questions

Luke Evans Excerpts

Wednesday 18th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lincoln Jopp (Spelthorne) (Con)]

2. Whether she plans to take steps with Cabinet colleagues to develop a strategy to improve educational outcomes for boys.

[Dr Luke Evans (Hinckley and Bosworth) (Con)]

9. Whether she plans to take steps with Cabinet colleagues to develop a strategy to improve educational outcomes for boys.

[The Minister for Women and Equalities (Bridget Phillipson)]

Attainment for boys is, on average, lower than for girls. This Government are determined to understand and address the drivers behind that. We are focused on driving educational excellence everywhere, for every child in every school, and my schools White Paper in the autumn will set out our vision for a system that delivers on excellence for everyone.

[Bridget Phillipson]

I am grateful for the hon. Gentleman’s interest in this area and the constructive way in which he is approaching an important topic. I, too, have looked at the research from the Centre for Social Justice, which provides some important pointers. Through the schools White Paper, we will consider all the ways we can better support boys and young men as one group. We know that the performance of free school meals-eligible white British boys is particularly low; that is something we inherited from the Conservatives.

[Dr Evans]

The logic behind having a Women’s Minister was the idea that women present and have different problems in society. By that logic, men and boys do, too; we know about suicide, and we have just heard about educational attainment. We hear about help-seeking opportunities, and I welcome the men’s health strategy, but is it not time we had a Minister for men and boys to look across Government and deal with education, unemployment, suicide and health, and really get to grips with the problems facing young men and boys?

[Bridget Phillipson]

The hon. Gentleman raises some important areas of concern, including health outcomes, suicide, educational outcomes and the need to better support boys, young men and men throughout their lives. He will appreciate that ministerial appointments are for the Prime Minister, so I will not get ahead of myself and make any announcements from the Dispatch Box today.