Education takes centre stage

Monday, 11 April 2005 12:00 AM

Michael Howard today beat the other party leaders to the draw by launching the Conservatives full election manifesto.

Thinner than in recent years, the manifesto never the less managed to pack in traditional Conservative policies such as tax cuts and reducing immigration, although the details of which taxes will be cut have not been announced (full story).

Labour's general election co-ordinator Alan Milburn later described the tax cuts as "risky", claiming that they would put Labour's hard-won economic stability at risk.

But it was education which took centre stage, with the Conservatives promising to give parents more choice and introduce 'pupil passports', which would see parents allowed to take state funding to any school, providing it could offer education for the same or less price than the state sector.

The full Labour manifesto is expected later this week, but yesterday they published their education and economy sections. Accusing the Conservatives of planning to take £2 billion out of the state sector, Education Secretary Ruth Kelly promised an increase in pupil funding, action against low level indiscipline, renovation of school buildings and greater parent involvement in schools (full story).

Gordon Brown, meanwhile, set out Labour's six pledges on the economy (full story).

For the Liberal Democrats, the number of teachers was the key, as they promised to recruit 21,000 new primary school teachers to reduce class sizes in primary schools (full story).

But the Lib Dem campaign took an unexpected twist in the afternoon with the news that Charles Kennedy's wife Sarah had been admitted to hospital to give birth. Mr Kennedy cancelled his engagements to be at her bedside with deputy leader Menzies Campbell taking over his campaign duties.

Elsewhere, the SNP and Plaid Cymru joined forces at a joint press conference in North Wales during which the respective leaders said the nationalists were the only parties to stand up for Scotland and Wales, and reiterated their determination to campaign on their opposition to the war in Iraq (full story).

Tags: