Letwin: I'd never send my children to state school

Shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin has claimed he would rather be a beggar than send his children to a state school.

In an outspoken attack on classroom standards in London, Mr Letwin said he would give his "right arm" to pay for a private education for son Jeremy and daughter Laura.

His comments, at a fringe meeting at the Conservative Party conference, came as the Tories launched a fresh drive to reposition themselves as the party of ordinary working families.

The remarks opened up the Eton-educated politician - a director of merchant bank NM Rothschild - to Labour charges that he is out of touch.

Mr Letwin told Tory activists that people regarded him as a "toff" because of his background - and went on to tell how he was trying to get Laura, 10, into "a particular public school in London".

He added: "Miraculously, the middle-class parents with the money end up getting their children into good schools."

Mr Letwin said he "wouldn't mind" using state schools in his Dorset constituency, where his family have a home, but that he wanted to see his children during the week.

He added: "In Lambeth, where I live, I would give my right arm to send them to a fee-paying school. If necessary I would go out on the streets and beg rather than send them to the school next to where I live."

"What about the other parents in Lambeth who are forced to use the state schools because they don't have the money? We need to give them the choice as well."

The school in question is thought to be the comprehensive Lilian Baylis school, which this year came bottom of London's secondary school league table. Just six per cent of its pupils passed GCSEs at grades A to C last year.

Its latest Ofsted report - dated 2001 - says: "Lilian Baylis ... has suffered from instability in its leadership, a high turnover of staff, uncertainty about its future and a poor - at one time deservedly so - reputation.

"There are some clear signs that the situation is improving, with well-focused and determined leadership from governors and senior managers."

But its head teacher hit back at Mr Letwin's comments.

Gary Phillips said: "It is very upsetting for both children and parents to be told that their school is no good when they know full well that it is.

"We are fully aware that the school's exam results are lower than the national average, but as a result of the Government's Value Added scheme, which takes account of factors like whether children speak English when they arrive at the school, Lilian Baylis is registered as one of the top 100 schools in the country by the Department for Education and Skills."