Skills and apprenticeships minister Anne Milton has resigned from government. 

Minutes after appearing in front of the House of Commons Education Select Committee, she tweeted a picture of her resignation letter and said: “Having abstained in the vote last week, today I have resigned from the government. It has been an honour to serve on the Conservative frontbenches, my thanks to everyone I have had the pleasure of working alongside.”

Background: Milton: ‘FE minister is the best job in government’

Read more: Anne Milton to be new skills minister

Background: Milton: ‘Leave it a year’ before taking T levels

Tribute to FE 

In the letter, she paid tribute to the FE sector and said that she appreciated the prime minister’s attempt to ensure that the sector got the attention it deserves. 

Milton attributed her resignation to Brexit and wrote: “I have grave concerns about leaving the EU without a deal, and so I feel it is time for me to return to the backbenches. This has not been an easy decision to make.” 

Milton became apprenticeship and skills minister in 2017. An outspoken advocate for an increase in funding for the further education sector, she never shied away from speaking her mind. Last summer, she said that as a parent, she might advise her children to “wait a year” before signing up to the government’s new T level qualifications. 

Speaking in front of the education committee this morning, Milton said there was not enough cross-departmental work in government, despite this being key to helping more people into employment. She also called on schools minister Nick Gibb to “sort out education” so young people did not arrive at the end of their 11 years in school unable to pass their level 2 qualifications. 

MPs from a range of parties thanked Ms Milton for her commitment to FE at the end of her evidence session - including her predecessor in the skills minister post, Robert Halfon.