Ruth Kelly admitted yesterday that she has received "spiritual support" from the controversial Roman Catholic Opus Dei movement.

However, the new education secretary told Breakfast with Frost that her faith would not stand in the way of her taking up further government jobs.

Kelly also used the interview to insist that A Levels and GCSEs would remain the gold standard in education.

She pledged to stamp out low-level classroom disruption with a new zero-tolerance policy.

Kelly said: "We have got to build on GCSEs and A levels, which after all are recognised as very important and good exams out there by the general public and by employers.

"So, yes, as we go forward and, as we widen opportunities and bring in a range of vocational options for students as well as academic options, we really do need to make sure that we have GCSEs and A levels remaining in place and build upon that."