Blair starts election drive with education pledge
Tony Blair has told Labour members that education remains at the heart of the party’s manifesto in the lead up to the 2005 election.
Speaking as he accepted his nomination as Labour candidate in his Sedgefield constituency, the prime minister compared Labour’s record over the past eight years with the Conservative’s 18 year stint in power.
Kicking off his election tour of Britain, Mr Blair pointed out that in 1997 the Tories had spent more in interest on the national debt than on the education system.
Addressing an audience at the Trimdon Constituency Labour Club in Sedgefield, the Labour leader said education was a major dividing line between Labour and the Conservatives and pledged to increase spending on education as a percentage of national income if the government is re-elected.
He laid out 10 points on the state of the education system which Labour inherited from the Tories: 10 points about the reforms which Labour have introduced: and 10 points about how he sees education developing in the future.
Mr Blair highlighted the improvements witnessed under Labour, such as increased investment, more teachers and classroom assistants, smaller class sizes, and improving GCSE and A-Level results.
He declared that voters should “never ever let” the Conservatives “back to do the damage they did to our country again” and said, if re-elected, he would guarantee three year budgets for schools with year on year increases, provide “proper school meals”, and guarantee four hours of sport a week “for every child that wants it”.
“Education, education, education, now and forever, the key to Britain’s future economic success,” the prime minister announced.
Accompanied by wife Cherie, Mr Blair insisted that Labour’s education agenda was about providing opportunity for all.
The prime minister, Gordon Brown and education secretary Ruth Kelly will unveil a dedicated ‘education pledge card’ this week, outlining Labour’s plans to improve standards in schools and universities and extend access to nursery places.
Mr Blair amassed a majority of 17,213 at the 2001 General Election in Sedgefield.
