More on grammars

I attended two events this weekend; one a Conservative Branch function and the other the Chairman's Ball at the Rugby Lions Rugby Club. At each one, the only political issue people I met wanted to speak about was grammar schools. There is a great deal of misunderstanding about the Conservative position, not helped by us but also driven by a mischievous press. I am happy that the issue is now clear and, following Dominic Grieve's intervention thus week, that in the event that the massive housing growth that the West Midland Regional Assembly is considering were to take place, there would be the opportunity for a proportionate increase in the number of grammar school places or even a further grammar school inRugby. It is now clearly only in other parties interests to keep this issue going, and I hope that we will now be able to concentrate on our proposals for increasing standards in schools across the country and prepare our young people for the competitive enviroment they will face at the end of their education.