Sir Patrick Cormack FSA

Conservative Party | Staffordshire South

Question on City Academies

Sir Patrick Cormack (South Staffordshire) (Con): Will the Secretary of State not only do everythingthat he can to ensure that my hon. Friend the Member for North-West Norfolk (Mr. Bellingham) has hiscity academy, but will he invite the Leader of the Opposition to open it?

Alan Johnson: It depends on how the Leader of the Opposition takes this forward now. The hon. Member for Havant (Mr. Willetts) has made his mark and passages from his interesting speech resonated from “The Future of Socialism” by Tony Crosland in the 1950s. However, with all the knives out behind him, I am worried that he will not manage to make progress. If he does, he will be the Leader—[Hon. Members: “Oh!”] He might be the Leader of the Opposition. If he does, he will be the shadow Secretary of State for Education for a long time to come. I very much hope that that will involve him in helping us to open 400 new city academies.