Blair gets Education Bill through but only with Conservative support

10.14.00am GMT Thu 16th Mar 2006

Tony Blair's was forced to rely on Conservative MPs to force through his education bill introducing a new breed of trust schools independent from direct local authority control. The Liberal Democrats opposed the Bill as did a total of 52 Labour MPs, leaving the prime minister dependent on David Cameron's Conservatives to ensure the bill won its second reading with a majority of 343. Only weeks ago, loyalists such as Stephen Byers warned that Mr Blair's position would be untenable if he had to rely on Tory votes to win the measure.

Speaking in the debate on the second reading of the Education and Inspections Bill, Liberal Democrat Shadow Education Secretary, Sarah Teather MP said "Instead of building a radical fresh agenda for reform for the 21st century, the 11th bill on education from this Labour Government looks back twenty years for its ideas rather than forward. Instead of addressing standards, which is the issue that worries parents and future employers most, this Bill focuses far too much on structures. At the heart of the problem is the Government's confusion over whether they should promote competition or collaboration to raise standards in education. What we will eventually end up with is a Bill which is a mish mash of both approaches, without a clear vision for the future.

Ms. Teather commenting on the Conservatives said "All along in this debate the Tory party have been more concerned with embarrassing Tony Blair than talking constructively about reform. The Liberal Democrats oppose this Bill because it fails to tackle the most pressing problems with our education system today, and may actually entrench existing inequalities."