Newly appointed Education Secretary Lucy Powell faced criticism on social media after a spelling mistake in a tweet announcing her appointment drew attention. The Labour deputy leader tweeted that she was “thrilled the be appointed Education Secretary,” omitting the word “to.” Opposition members highlighted the error and criticised her grammar in a marked-up version of the post shared widely on X.

The incident reignited debate around Ms. Powell’s previous comments on spelling and assessment tests. In a 2019 interview with Tes magazine, she described primary school spelling tests introduced under Conservative governments as “ridiculous” and argued they led to excessive micromanagement of students. She expressed concerns that pupils could fail English, maths, or science exams due to minor spelling mistakes, suggesting that such policies had become overly rigid.

Ms. Powell had said at the time that teachers being judged on results from spelling, punctuation, and grammar (Spag) assessments was problematic, particularly when students faced other disadvantages such as poor nutrition or inadequate clothing. “It’s gone too far with ridiculous Spag tests in primary schools or pupils failing exams if they spell a couple of things wrong,” she remarked in the 2019 interview. She also criticised the testing environment as potentially “draconian” when external factors affect student performance.

In her current role, Ms. Powell has advocated for reforming the status of fee-paying schools. She has called for the removal of tax breaks currently granted to private schools holding charitable status. Under the Labour government led by Keir Starmer, VAT was introduced on school fees, a move linked to the closure of more than 100 independent schools since its implementation.

The renewed focus on Ms. Powell’s earlier views and recent social media mistake comes amid wider discussions on education policy and testing standards under the new administration. Opposition parties have seized on the errors and her past criticisms to question her suitability for overseeing education reforms, while Labour supporters have defended her record and vision for the sector.