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Education and Inspections Bill

I congratulate the hon. Member for Northampton, North (Ms Keeble) on her speech and on bringing a different perspective to the debate. I wish to speak against new clause 39, which is a clumsy and, some would say, spiteful attempt to destroy the remaining 160-odd grammar schools throughout the country. The hon. Member for Bury, North (Mr. Chaytor) is an intelligent and decent individual. He is also my colleague on the Education and Skills Committee, and he often speaks with insight and creativity on education matters—[Hon. Members: ““More!””] I am building him up. However, the hon. Gentleman has allowed himself to be sucked into the Deputy Prime Minister’s style of class warfare. Just because the hon. Gentleman dislikes grammar schools and selection does not mean that those in existence are wrong in principle. There are two wonderful grammar schools in my constituency which provide excellence in education that is rarely matched anywhere else.