Here’s a thing. What’s happened to Andy Burnham? The affable scouser’s
leadership manifesto had an appealing tone: the red background enlivened by a blue streak on law and
order, aspiration and tax reform. But Burnham lost the race and since then he has been matching Ed Balls for bellicosity, opposing each of Michael Gove’s education reforms out of an
antediluvian tribal loyalty.
In recent weeks, Burnham has attacked cuts to the Educational Maintenance Allowance and the Building Schools for the Future fund. He’s at it again today. He will speak to the NASUWT teaching union later and he is expected to say:
‘This Tory-led Government’s education policy consists of broken promises, incompetence and wrong-headed reforms. Increasingly, we are seeing the sort of poor decision-making and lack of clarity from central Government that can only be called incompetence.’
Burnham’s point is that the education budget is falling in real terms, despite the government’s protestations.
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