Cameron's well-schooled argument

When Michael Howard offered David Cameron the pick of the jobs in the shadow Cabinet after the 2005 election, Cameron chose education. Howard was disappointed that Cameron hadn’t opted to shadow Gordon Brown but Cameron argued that education was the most important portfolio. A sense of that commitment was on display today in his speech on education, delivered at one of the new free schools that have opened this term.

His defence of the coalition’s plans to make it easier to sack bad teachers summed up its refreshing radicalism. He simply said,

“If it’s a choice between making sure our children get the highest quality teaching or some teachers changing career… I know what I choose.”

There wasn’t much new policy in the speech but Cameron did confirm that he wants to look at cutting the benefits of parents whose children truant. I think there’s merit to this proposal but if Cameron does decide to go through with it he’ll face a real row to get it past his coalition partners.