Balls: Gove telling children “you aren’t worth it”

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

Ed Balls has really come into his own in recent weeks as he attacks Michael Gove over Building Schools for the Future (BSF) – but today he ratcheted the pressure up a notch – accusing Gove of saying “you’re not worth it” to thousands of children. Speaking to the Today programme, Balls said:

“I’m afraid Michael Gove today is saying to hundreds and hundreds of thousands of children around the country, ‘I’m sorry, you aren’t worth it, you’re not my priority.”

“And instead he’s rushing through the House of Commons today and this week new legislation to take money from existing schools, take away new buildings and instead set up new free-market schools.”

Ed has successfully exploited the weaknesses that Gove has presented in recent weeks, and it has been the making of him as a leadership contender. However it remains to be seen whether he can strike fresh blows on other policies once the BSF fiasco ceases to be newsworthy.