HE WAS A BANKER

Carol Vorderman Lays Into Rishi Sunak Following His Proposed 'Maths To 18' Plans

The former Countdown star was left questioning whether the PM lives in a "parallel universe" following his speech earlier this week.


Daniel Welsh
05/01/2023 


Carol Vorderman
KEN MCKAY/ITV/SHUTTERSTOCK

Carol Vorderman has hit out at prime minister Rishi Sunak following his proposed plans to make studying Maths until the age of 18 mandatory in Britain.

Earlier this week, during his first speech of 2023, Sunak stated that he wanted to “reimagine” the UK’s “approach to numeracy”, claiming that “data is everywhere and statistics underpin every job”.

However, in an interview on LBC on Thursday, Maths whizz Carol seemed unconvinced.

The former Countdown star – who describes herself as “politically independent” – questioned whether the PM is living in a “parallel universe”.

“People are suffering,” she told presenter Nick Ferrari. “I came from a very poor family – single parent, three kids – I was born in 1960 so I’m aged 62 now, and I was a free school meals kid all my life; I know how hard it is.

“He’s saying ‘Oh, my education was important’. Yes, it was important, you went to Winchester which is like Eton B, it’s a private school.”

Carol continued: “Does he have any conception of what real people are having to go through and the lack of opportunities for children?

“And the only way we can change this country is when children particularly are given equal opportunity. I am deeply passionate about it.”

Reflecting on the Prime Minister’s proposed scheme, Vorders stated her belief that “the system is not working for that”.

LONDON, ENGLAND, JANUARY 04: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during his first major domestic speech of the year at Plexal, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on January 4, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Stefan Rousseau - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
WPA POOL VIA GETTY IMAGES

Instead, she offered up the idea that the syllabus switch more complicated Maths to focus more on “practical” skills.

“Let’s just take a practical view and come up with something you don’t teach to the test, you can do it online, re-do it online, where you have a little video lesson and then you have a little test after so it’s like micro-tests every day,” she suggested.

“You don’t need to teach to an exam all the time because, sadly, teachers and schools have to keep doing this.

“They spend whole terms teaching how to answer a particular question which is set by an educationist, rather than the practicality about mortgages, about your salary, about tax, about all of those practical things that will help these kids as they get older.”

Carol was previously asked by the Conservative party to lead a review into the teaching of Maths in schools back in 2009.

The former Loose Women anchor told LBC that she will not work with Sunak unless he provides more information on his tax returns and the so-called VIP lane over personal protective equipment (PPE)

Sunak’s speech on Wednesday was met with a lukewarm response at the time, with many of his critics online pointing out that he had left out many pressing issues facing the country right now – most notably the state of the health service.

Simon Pegg fumes at Rishi Sunak’s plan to extend maths study age


The Mission: Impossible actor took to Instagram to air his frustration and accused the Prime Minister of wanting a ‘drone army of data-entering robots’

By Lisa McLoughlin

Simon Pegg has shared an impassioned response to Rishi Sunak’s plan to make pupils study maths until the age of 18, branding the Prime Minister a “pr***”.

The Mission: Impossible actor took to Instagram to air his frustrations over the tentative decision to favour the subject over arts and humanities.

He fumed: “So Rishi Sunak, our unmandated, unelected prime minister twice removed, has decided it should be compulsory for children to learn maths up until the age of 18 – what a pr***.

“What about arts and humanities and fostering this country’s amazing reputation for creativity and self-expression?

“What about that? What about the kids that don’t want to do maths? I hated maths,” Mr Pegg continued.

“I dropped Maths as soon as I could and I’ve never needed it other than the skillset I acquired at the age of 12.



Pegg vented on social media / Instagram/SimonPegg

“But no. Rishi Sunak wants a f***ing drone army of data-entering robots.”

Before furiously adding: “F*** the Tories. Get rid of them. Please! F*** you, Rishi Sunak, and f*** the Tories.”

The Prime Minister outlined five promises for the year ahead during a speech in east London on Wednesday (January 4), which included halving inflation and bringing down NHS waiting lists.

Mr Sunak separately spoke about the importance of improving numeracy as he pledged to make it a central objective of the UK education system.

Speaking to an audience in Stratford, he said: “Right now, just half of all 16 to 19-year-olds study any maths at all.

“Yet in a world where data is everywhere and statistics underpin every job, our children’s jobs will require more analytical skills than ever before, and letting our children out into the world without those skills is letting our children down.”

The Prime Minister said the plan would not mean a compulsory A-level for maths for everyone and may not be achieved in this Parliament.

However, a teacher and education experts said the policy does not address major problems in the wider education system, including the already “severe shortage of maths teachers”.