Boris Johnson considered sacking Williamson over 2020 exam grading scandal

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted to the Covid Inquiry that he was in a "homicidal mood" following the 2020 exam results scandal, during which an algorithm intended to prevent grade inflation downgraded 40% of predicted grades, causing public uproar. Johnson considered sacking then-Education Secretary Sir Gavin Williamson over the fiasco but ultimately did not, though the Department for Education's permanent secretary Jonathan Slater was dismissed. Johnson acknowledged that the system had failed and that the government had relied on the wrong initial model but defended the intentions behind the approach as well as the efforts made by the education department amid difficult circumstances. He admitted that the lockdown rules for children were overly complex and probably went too far, expressing regret over the handling of school closures and the timing of decisions to close schools again in January 2021. Johnson also criticized the Department for Education for needing to be told to prepare plans for school closures and pushed for reforms within the department, indicating frustration with the centralization of power during the pandemic. Despite the controversies, Johnson said the department under Williamson did a "pretty heroic job" coping with Covid challenges overall.