New Ofsted chair announced

Hoare is a businessman, chairman of DX Group and trustee of the academy chain Academies Enterprise Trust (AET).

The position has been vacant since ministers failed to renew Morgan's contract in February, a decision she claims showed a "determined effort" to appoint a Tory chairman.

The move sparked a row within the coalition, with Liberal Democrats schools minister David Laws said to have been 'furious' at the decision to replace Morgan and Lib Dem spokespeople claiming that former education secretary Michael Gove was attempting to politicise the Ofsted post, an accusation he denies.

The former frontrunner was David Ross, a major Tory donor. Political commentators say that Hoare's appointment will prove much less contentious than Ross' would have been, and that this is a possible sign of improved relations in the coalition.

READ MORE