Nick Timothy, who served as chief of staff to Theresa May, has been appointed as a non-executive director of the Department for Education (DfE).
During his time advising the former prime minister, Timothy was widely regarded as the driving force behind the controversial plan to bring back grammar schools, before resigning in 2017 after the Conservative Party lost their majority at the general election that year.
Timothy was also a fierce critic of the higher education sector.
In reaction to the appointment, a DfE spokesperson said: “Nick Timothy will bring a range of experience that will support our work as we continue to develop our world-leading education system.”
In addition to his new role with the government’s education department, Mr Timothy is a visiting Professor at the University of Sheffield, and formerly a Director of the New Schools Network (NSN), a charity that helps people set up free schools.
He a newspaper columnist, author and a member of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee.