David Davis reignites grammar school row

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Shadow home secretary David Davis's intervention follows uproar in the Conservative Party after David Cameron ruled out a new generation of selective schooling.

The Tory leader has come under intense pressure to disown the suggestion by shadow education secretary David Willetts that grammar schools tend to impede social mobility.

Mr Davis set himself at odds with that view by saying: "My primary interest in this is the simple issue of social mobility - making sure youngsters get the best chances.

"Now, there is more than one way to do that. Grammar schools is one, and where they're there we will continue with them."

Mr Davis, who called for more grammar schools during the 2005 Tory leadership contest, said his support for the leadership's stance was a condition of his Shadow Cabinet membership.

Asked whether he was completely comfortable with the policy of no more grammar school areas, he said: "Understand that when the leadership contest was finished the party had made a decision on all sorts of things, on grammar schools and a variety of other issues where there had been debates between David and myself.

"And when I signed up, when I joined the Shadow Cabinet, I accepted David's invitation, I implicitly accepted the country's made its decision and I accept that decision."

Amid the revolt from grammar schools supporters, Mr Willetts said that where selective schooling already existed, new grammars might be introduced to cope with demand.

The move was portrayed as a U-turn under pressure from party members, following the resignation of Europe spokesman Graham Brady.

In a recent speech, Mr Cameron said the best way to improve social mobility was to ensure "good standards of discipline and behaviour and then good standards of teaching and learning" in all 24,000 state schools, not just the 166 grammar schools.

Speaking on BBC1's Sunday AM, Mr Davis went on to say that Mr Cameron had had the best start of any Tory leader he could remember.

"This is three weeks of slightly rough water," he added. "So what, frankly?"