Trouble for Brown as Labour backbenchers threaten grammar school revolt

Labour rebels are planning a fresh challenge to Gordon Brown's authority by plotting to derail his education policy.

Up to 50 backbench MPs are preparing to back a planned amendment to the Education and Skills Bill, which would ban academic selection from England's 164 remaining grammar schools.

If they fail, they could vote against the Bill in its entirety, jeopardising Mr Brown's goal of making education or training compulsory for young people up to the age of 18.

The plan comes from a group of Labour MPs who are unhappy about the Government's education policies - particularly its continued tolerance of grammar schools.

They could also fight against Labour's support of faith schools and city academies.

The Tories have yet to decide how they will vote. But if they joined the Labour rebels, the Government's majority would be at risk.

Ian Gibson, the Labour MP for Norwich North, said: "We really want to do something about grammar schools and selective examinations.

"The Government is opposed to opening new grammar schools but we really should be looking at the ones that are there, that are still selecting by ability.

"It creates a situation where pupils are generally selected because of their background and social class, not necessarily because they are academically better.

"If you are going to have a fair society you must have an education system that doesn't differentiate between children at an early age."

The rebellion threatens to wreck an important piece of legislation at a time when Mr Brown's authority is already under question.

Mr Gibson said that there were dozens of MPs who had "the bottle to have a go."

"In the current climate a lot of things are going to be up for grabs," he added.

Robert McCartney, chair of the National Grammar Schools Association, said: "There's no doubt that mainstream Labour is very anxious to avoid a head-on attack on the grammar schools.

"They know, with the poor performance of the comprehensive sector, that there's a tremendous feeling of support for the grammars, particularly within Middle England."

He added that he would fight to keep academic selection in grammar schools.

"The only basis for abolition is a political and ideological one, based on the Marxist principle of equality of results," he said.