South Devon MP Caroline Voaden lands national role

South Devon MP Caroline Voaden has been elevated to national spokesman level for her party.

Ms Voaden said she is ‘absolutely thrilled’ to be appointed to the newly created position of Schools Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats.  

Having served on the Education Select Committee since her election in July 2024, she has developed a keen understanding of the difficult position many schools are in following fourteen years of chronic underfunding by the Conservatives.  

Earlier this month, the Committee released a comprehensive report on the state of SEND services in England. The report came off the back of an inquiry in which Ms Voaden and the other members of the Committee received 890 pieces of written evidence, held seven oral evidence sessions, and spoke with young people with SEND, government ministers, and educational experts.  

Alongside her work on the Committee, in her first year as MP, Ms Voaden has repeatedly pressed Ministers from the Department for Education on a range of topics, including calling for the Education Secretary to introduce auto-enrolment for free school meals, and for the Schools Minister to review the regional inequality created by the national funding formula.  

She was also a co-sponsor of the Safer Phones Bill and has spoken repeatedly about the dangers social media and smartphones pose to children.  

The MP for South Devon, including Brixham, said: "I’m thrilled to be stepping into a new spokesperson role for the Liberal Democrats – focusing on Schools.  

“Education is the best investment we can make in our children, and that means ensuring every child leaves school with the life skills, confidence and resilience they need to be happy, healthy and successful, whatever path they choose to go down.  

“And that means all children, including those with additional needs and disabilities who have been so badly let down by a broken system.  

“There is so much more to school than passing exams, and I want to use this platform to highlight the role education plays in showing all children how much they are worth and the potential they have.  

“I look forward to working with, and listening to, school leaders, teachers and pupils here in South Devon and across the country so we can make education the gift that truly lasts a lifetime.”