Blair premiership at risk

Tony Blair is ready to delay the introduction of a flagship Bill on school reform to avoid a Commons defeat that ministerial colleagues believe could end his premiership.

Mr Blair cannot afford a Commons defeat on his flagship education Bill
Senior Labour sources said last night that he would allow Ruth Kelly, the embattled Education Secretary, more time to forge a compromise with Labour rebels over his plans for a new generation of trust schools free from local authority control.

In a sign that the crisis over sex offenders working in schools is causing wider turmoil, a Government insider said the Education Bill, due to be published next month, would almost certainly be put back by several weeks.

Miss Kelly had been distracted from her efforts to secure agreement with Labour MPs over the Bill by her latest, unrelated difficulties.

The result was that far more work had to be done to make the Education Bill acceptable to at least 70 Labour backbenchers who fear it will divide communities and penalise working-class pupils.

"It is difficult, there will have to be big changes," said a minister. "We cannot afford another defeat and we cannot rely on Tory votes to get this through."

He also disclosed that Patricia Hewitt, the Health Secretary, had joined John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, and other Cabinet ministers in opposing key elements of the education reforms.

"There has been quite wide concern about it in Cabinet."

Ministers accept that Mr Blair, who suffered his first Commons defeat over anti-terrorist legislation in November, cannot survive another loss on such a crucial Bill and survive as Prime Minister.

Hilary Armstrong, the Chief Whip, has told him he has little chance of getting an education Bill through the Commons unless last year's White Paper is modified.

Problems with the Bill deepened yesterday when the Audit Commission backed Labour rebels in claiming that it would work against the interests of the most disadvantaged families. A hard-hitting report said the Government was wrong to focus on trying to widen "choice" for parents. "Choice is neither realistic nor an issue of primary importance for parents."

A compromise being floated by ministers is for trust status to be confined to federations of schools - a move they believe would increase co-operation rather than competition between schools.

(from Toby Helm and George Jones at Daily Telegraph)