TORIES LACK SUBSTANCE ON EDUCATION

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 16th May 2007

Commenting on today's announcement by the Conservative Party, which has signaled an abandonment of its traditional support for grammar schools, local Lib Dem MP, Lorely Burt said:

"With the Tories ditching yet another policy, it has left them a party desperately searching for some substance on education. When are they going to start telling voters in Solihull and across the country what they do stand for?

"David Cameron now claims to support another New Labour idea - city academies - claiming that they boost social mobility. When will he realise that voters want a real choice at the next election? We need a real alternative, with real substance. Only the Liberal Democrats are providing such a choice.

"Until the Tories make concrete commitments to fairer funding, smaller class sizes and greater investment to help pupils who fall behind and a revised modern curriculum, his claims to care about social mobility will only ring hollow to the people of Solihull."