Prescott rubbishes Blair plans for education

bbcnews: Prescott in blow to school reform

John Prescott has dealt a serious blow to Tony Blair's plans to give state schools in England more say over admissions, staffing and finances.

The deputy prime minister told the Sunday Telegraph he feared pupils from poorer backgrounds could lose out under a two-tier, class-ridden system.

Mr Prescott, who failed his 11-plus but earned a degree, said: "I'm not totally convinced major reform is necessary". Read more

db: blair = lame duck