Education and Skills Bill

The hon. Gentleman has made the case very well, and I do not need to detain the House for long. We have yet another U-turn from the Conservative party. It is not quite as rapid a U-turn as that which the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton (Mr. Gibb) made on standard assessment tests, but it is extraordinary: Baroness Verma, who led for the Opposition on this in the Lords, said on 30 October that the amendment responded to the concerns of her noble Friend Lady Morris:"““The amendment has been tailored to meet that small concern and I am happy to offer my support for it””—[Official Report, House of Lords, 30 October 2008; Vol. 704, c. 1743.]," but the Tory Front-Bench team is voting against it now. I give the reassurance to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) and my hon. Friend the Member for Wolverhampton, South-West (Rob Marris) that we will consult social partners, schools and unions on what should be in the regulations. We have already said we do not intend to be prescriptive on matters such as staff or terms and conditions. This will be at a high level. The amendment will retain the flexibility everyone has been asking for, and it is bizarre and inflexible of the Opposition to want to vote against it. Question put, That this House agrees with the Lords in the said amendment:— The House divided: Ayes 288, Noes 120.