Hague accidentally reveals document showing Tories will not rule out slashing funding for schools

William Hague has been left red-faced after accidentally revealing a Tory spin document advising how to avoid answering awkward questions about slashing funding for schools. At yesterday’s gloomy five-person press conference (dubbed “The worst Kraftwerk gig ever“), the Leader of the House turned over a sheet of lines to take, allowing a photographer to catch a glimpse of what was written.

Under the potential question “Will you cut the schools budget in the next Parliament?” was the CCHQ-approved response:

“Of course there will be difficult decisions in the next Education budget in the next Parliament.

“In this Parliament, we’ve shown that we can protect the front line by making the Education budget more efficient and effective.

“We can only have strong schools by staying on the road to a stronger economy. But putting the economy at risk because Ed Miliband doesn’t have an economic plan, Labour would put our schools at risk.

“If pressed: There will be decisions for future spending reviews.”

When will these spending reviews take place? Are the Tories really going to go into an election while refusing to tell voters whether they intend to cut funding for schools?

You can see the photo here.