All three of the main parties’ education spokesmen revealed they would have no problem with the next Education Secretary sending their children to private school. The outbreak of honesty among politicians came when the BBC’s Daily Politics show presenter Andrew Neil, asked if it would be a ‘acceptable for an education secretary to send their children to a private school’. Tristram Hunt, Labour’s shadow education secretary answered first and said: ‘Yes. In certain circumstances’. He also confirmed Labour could fire the thousands of ‘unqualified’ teachers across the state sector. All three of the main parties’ education spokesmen - pictured on the BBC's Daily Politics show today - revealed they would have no problem with the next Education Secretary sending their children to private school . Two of his three children go to a state primary school in north London, with the third expected to go to the same school. But he has not ruled out switching them to independent schools. In contrast, Labour leader Ed Miliband refused to publicly support Labour’s deputy Scottish Leader, Anas Sarwar, when he chose to send his son to a private school in Glasgow. Privately-educated Schools Minister David Laws – who has no children - immediately said ‘yes’ when asked whether a future education secretary should be able to send their children private. And Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, who was privately educated but sends her son to a state primary, said: ‘Yes, you do what’s right for the child.’ Ukip’s James Arnott and the Green Party’s James Humphreys also agreed that there was no problem with a future Education Secretary sending their children private – although Mr Arnott added it would be an ‘indictment’ of the quality of state schools. Just seven per cent of children in the UK are privately educated. Ukip has pledged to bring back grammar schools by converting some existing comprehensives but Mrs Morgan said it would be a ‘step backwards’ and the plan ‘does not respect the outstanding schools that we see up and down the country’. Tristram Hunt, Labour’s shadow education secretary, was asked if it was acceptable for an Education Secretary to send their child private. He said: ‘Yes. In certain circumstances’ The rare frankness about whether they would send their children private is in stark contrast to the controversy sparked by Labour left-winger Diane Abbott, who sent her son to the exclusive fee-paying City of London school. Miss Abbott had previously criticised Harriet Harman, now Labour’s deputy leader, for sending her children to a selective grammar school. While many politicians on the Left have avoided paying to send their children to get the best education, they have managed to get them into elite taxpayer-funded schools. Both Tony Blair – who converted to Catholicism after standing down – and atheist Nick Clegg, bagged places at leading London Oratory for their children. Both men are married to Catholics. Put to the three main party spokesmen that they were all privately educated and Oxbridge graduates, Mr Hunt agreed that the ‘circle is tightening’ on top professions. Mr Hunt also signalled Labour would sack all the ‘unqualified’ teachers by the end of their first term in government if they had not signed up to training. Labour leader Ed Miliband, who stopped for a selfie with passers by at Sheffield railway station today, has vowed to halt the Coalition's education reforms . The Prime Minister, campaigning with supporters in Cornwall today, has vowed to turn all failing schools into academies . Some 17,000 teachers do not have ‘Qualified Teacher Status’ after Michael Gove, the previous Tory Education Secretary, waived the rules to attract more professionals and subject experts into schools. But Mr Hunt said Labour would be prepared to fire them. ‘At the end of a parliament, if you’re not qualified or working towards qualified teacher status, we don’t think that you’ve shown the enthusiasm and the respect to your pupils.... you don’t deserve to be in the classroom…we need high quality teaching.” He said firing them would be ‘a sign of the respect we attach to teachers’. ‘We think it is a demanding, fulfilling profession. We don’t think anyone can turn up to be a teacher. You need training,’ he said. Mr Hunt himself is technically unqualified but occasionally teaches history in London schools and university. He did not reveal if he had plans to fire himself should Labour win the election.
Main parties' school spokesmen backed right to opt out of state education.
They were asked if an Education Secretary could choose private school.
Labour’s shadow education secretary said: 'Yes. In certain circumstances'
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan agreed, as did the Lib Dem David Laws.