Heckler: I did it because my son needs a school

A father who heckled Gordon Brown said today he did it to expose the plight of parents trying to get their children into state schools.

Ben Butterworth, 31, from Clapham, confronted Mr Brown as he left the Centrepoint Tower in central London .

Mr Butterworth, a design agency director and son of the children's author Nick Butterworth, creator of the Percy the Park Keeper books, shouted at the Prime Minister: "Gordon, can you tell me why my children can't get into any of the state schools of our choice in our area... hello Gordon."

Mr Butterworth said he was angry that he and his wife Jenny had been unable to get their four-year-old son Harry into a school they want. "The one closest to us doesn't have good results and every other school we've applied to is full."

The nearest school to the Butterworths' terraced home is Bonneville Primary, which Ofsted inspectors rated as "satisfactory" in February this year.

Mr Butterworth refused to say which schools he was talking about, saying it would not be fair on the teachers. Lambeth primary schools are badly over-subscribed, needing more than 2,000 extra places over the next three years.

Mr Brown said of the incident: "I am happy to take questions at a public meeting, but I was actually on my way from one meeting to another."