Stephen Twigg MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, responding to the Deputy Prime Minister’s speech, said:
“Nick Clegg has got a nerve talking about social mobility.
“His Government has cut education spending by the biggest amount since the 1950s.
“More than half of headteachers say they will be forced to use the pupil premium to plug holes in their budget.
“Free schools set up by this Government take far fewer pupils from deprived background than average.
“And half of the education capital spend in the Spending Review is being spent on pet projects, rather than real need.
“With a million young people unemployed and families with children paying more than double what the banks are paying to reduce the deficit, the public will not be fooled by Clegg’s desperate attempt to pretend this Government is fair.”
