Another blow for Cameron as the Tories drop in polls
DAVID Cameron’s lead over Labour appeared to be slipping away last night after a fortnight of Conservative feuding over grammar schools.
An Ipsos MORI opinion poll released yesterday found the Conservatives just two per cent ahead of Labour, the narrowest gap this year.
It showed the Tories slumped from 42 per cent to 37 per cent since last month, with Labour on 35 and the Liberal Democrats on 18.
The row refused to subside yesterday as internal party critics attacked the “out of touch” handling of the grammar school debate.
Mr Cameron has been accused of an embarrassing
U-turn after apparently ruling out building any new grammar schools. Party chiefs later said a future Tory government might allow them in areas still using the 11-plus system.
Former Tory Cabinet minister David Mellor yesterday accused him of being “out of touch with the common herd”.
If I dared to offer him a bit of advice it would be: for heaven’s sake, don’t forget your principles
In a GMTV interview to be broadcast tomorrow, Mr Mellor said: “If I dared to offer him a bit of advice it would be: for heaven’s sake, don’t forget your principles.” Mr Mellor also criticised the Eton-educated Tory leader for surrounding himself with aides from the same upper-crust fee-paying school.
“I just think it’s a bit foolish for an old Etonian to appear to want to pull up the ladder of opportunity from ordinary folk,” he said.
Senior Tories were yesterday insisting Mr Cameron – on holiday in Crete – was “relaxed” about the schools row.
A spokesman said Mr Cameron “completely supported” Shadow Education Secretary David Willetts, who has been the chief target of the angry Tory grammar school rebels. He added: “There has been no U-turn and David is looking forward to chairing a meeting of the Shadow Cabinet on Tuesday.”
However, even MPs sympathetic to the leadership’s education policy admit the last week has been a shambles. The row led to the first resignation over a point of principle under Mr Cameron’s leadership when Shadow Europe Minister Graham Brady quit the frontbench.
Senior backbencher Bernard Jenkin, also speaking to GMTV yesterday, added to the impression of a Tory U-turn over education.
He said: “I have grammar schools in my constituency, I’m a supporter of grammar schools. I’m glad the party is now saying that, in areas where there are grammar schools, the authorities may apply to build new grammar schools to deal with larger populations.”
Mr Jenkin called the row the “first skid mark” under Mr Cameron’s leadership.
Mr Cameron’s inner circle are hoping similar presentational nightmares can be avoided once the party’s new communications director, former News Of The World editor Andy Coulson, takes over next month. But there was also anger yesterday over reports that the new media chief will be paid more than £400,000 a year in the post.
One Tory supporter, writing on the independent grassroots Conservativehome website for activists, claimed the salary had not yet been approved.
“Who’s paying him anything? The Board hasn’t agreed to pay him a penny.
“Is one of our peerage-sporting donors informally paying him? Watch this space, another grade-A disaster in the making,” the supporter wrote.
