Michael Howard has promised that a Conservative government would ensure a grammar school place for every parent who wants one and whose child is qualified for it.

The Tory leader said his administration would encourage grammar schools to take over failing comprehensives and make them academically selective if there was sufficient parental demand in the area.

He told the annual conference of the National Grammar Schools Association: "Parental choice will be the overriding factor in keeping a school open. By giving parents the ability to exercise control over their children's education, and by making it easier for popular and successful schools to expand, we will give opportunities to the grammar school sector and to thousands of children."