The article discusses how, in December 2020, then-health secretary, Matt Hancock, was in a Cabinet fight with education secretary, Gavin Williamson, over whether or not to close schools in preparation for the return of students in January 2021. After Boris Johnson sided with Gavin, Matt Hancock told an aide that "the next U-turn is born" and began an attempt to have schools closed before children returned. The article reveals that, over the following week, Mr. Hancock and his team struggled to keep schools open as U-turns on dates and testing requirements for secondary schools occurred. On January 4, after many younger children had returned to classes for a single day, Johnson announced that schools would close and exams would be cancelled amid a national lockdown. Nine million children lost two months of education as a result of this decision.

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