9th July, 2010, 8:22 am Balls attacks Gove’s ‘thoughtless”, “shambolic” assault on schools – 8 in the morning, July 9th Alex Smith Share this article: By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982 * Writing in the Guardian, Ed Balls says that Michael Gove’s cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme has been a “thoughtless” and “shambolic” assault on our schools. * The Mirror says: Labour was busy rebuilding the nation’s schools when it lost power. The Tories have reversed that policy, scrapping investment in our children’s future. * The OBR must be urgently reformed if its independence is to be assured, says the Centre for Economic and Business Research. * And the OBR was “plunged into fresh controversy” last night, after it was accused of making “methodological changes” to forecasts ahead of George Osborne’s buget. * House prices are heading for a crash next year, experts have warned. * Sunder Katwala has put together some classic 80s pop hits to describe Michael Gove’s shambles. * Afghanistan is a catastrophe. But we’ll have to wait for another Chilcot to admit it, says Simon Jenkins. * With more updates from meetings this week to follow later, David Miliband on 50 CLP nominations last night, Ed Miliband on 46, Andy Burnham on 10, Diane Abbott on 9 and Ed Balls on 5. Alex Smith Alex is the founder and CEO of The Cares Family. He was editor and first director of LabourList in 2009-2010, during which time he established the site as the number one Labour blog, and later an aide to Ed Miliband. @alexsmith1982 View all articles by Alex Smith Subscribe to our daily email More from LabourList Comment ‘Heathrow expansion: flying in the face of reason’ Exhausted after months of constituency work, casework and ushering in a new Prime Minister, MPs are now on… Tony Bosworth 11th August, 2026, 6:00 am Featured ‘Voices from Clacton: five lessons on how to fight Farage’ Stanley approaches – all sandy curls and crisp white ankle socks – along the sun-baked Frinton high-street. He’s… Rowenna Davis & Sadie Levi 11th August, 2026, 6:00 am Columnist Delivering in local government: How Labour is building a better Britain everywhere Labour Councils up and down the country are helping to improve the lives of their residents. Week in,… Paul Dimoldenberg 11th August, 2026, 6:00 am
Alex Smith Alex is the founder and CEO of The Cares Family. He was editor and first director of LabourList in 2009-2010, during which time he established the site as the number one Labour blog, and later an aide to Ed Miliband. @alexsmith1982 View all articles by Alex Smith
Comment ‘Heathrow expansion: flying in the face of reason’ Exhausted after months of constituency work, casework and ushering in a new Prime Minister, MPs are now on… Tony Bosworth 11th August, 2026, 6:00 am
Featured ‘Voices from Clacton: five lessons on how to fight Farage’ Stanley approaches – all sandy curls and crisp white ankle socks – along the sun-baked Frinton high-street. He’s… Rowenna Davis & Sadie Levi 11th August, 2026, 6:00 am
Columnist Delivering in local government: How Labour is building a better Britain everywhere Labour Councils up and down the country are helping to improve the lives of their residents. Week in,… Paul Dimoldenberg 11th August, 2026, 6:00 am
By 
More from LabourList
‘Heathrow expansion: flying in the face of reason’
‘Voices from Clacton: five lessons on how to fight Farage’
Delivering in local government: How Labour is building a better Britain everywhere