Education Secretary Nicky Morgan refuses to answer maths question asked by boy, 10

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Education Secretary Nicky Morgan today refused to answer a simple maths question put to her by a 10-year-old  boy.

She twice dodged the problem: What is the cube root of 125.

Ms Morgan was ambushed after she agreed to be interviewed by a group of children on Sky News.  When presenter Anushka Asthana asked her: “How’s your maths?” Ms Morgan said: “Oh, I’m not doing maths on air.”

However, Leon, 10, calmly asked for an answer. The minister laughed nervously as she responded: “As I say, I think it’s probably better that politicians don’t do maths or spelling on air.” But Leon said: “I’m afraid I’ve got to press that question, actually, do you know what the answer is?”

When Ms Morgan declined again, he supplied it himself: five.

Leon then asked a tougher question, the cube root of 1,728 minus 11. The minister said: “I think that’s one that I might just have to go away and work out. I think politicians who answer maths questions or spelling questions on air normally come a cropper.”

She was following the example of George Osborne who dodged giving an answer to 7×8 on the same TV show in July. Former Labour schools minister Stephen Byers said “54” when asked the question in a radio interview.

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