Meanwhile Ms Kelly's last-minute failure to attend a fringe meeting on pupil testing put Barry Sheerman, chair of the Parliamentary Education and Skills Select Committee, in a spot of bother. He'd been due to chair the event, hosted by the Social Market Foundation think-tank, but when Ms Kelly dropped out he had to switch hats and appear as a panel speaker. He started by remarking: "If ministers are in the Department (for Education and Skills) for an average of 20 months, it's no good. We need stability." Rousing stuff. Shame no ministers were around to hear it.