The Conservative plans to abandon grammar schools was today described as "a travesty"

Derek Clark, former school teacher and UKIP MEP said, "by abandoning grammar schools they are holding back the brightest children from poor backgrounds, to the detriment of the whole country.

"It is gross hypocrisy for the Tories to kill off grammar schools when five members of the shadow cabinet went to grammar schools, as did eight government cabinet ministers.

"Research has shown that children from poor backgrounds do particularly well at grammar school; we need more, not fewer."

Professor Tim Congdon, UKIP supporter and former Grammar school boy, said "this shows that the Tories have totally lost their way."

UKIP believes passionately in giving every child a chance, rather than condemning so many to failure, based on the ability to pay either school fees or expensive property.

The Conservative Home party survey found that only 20% of Conservative members support the Conservative policy while 44% support UKIP's policy on education

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/torydiary/2006/01/most_members_di.html

David Davis said grammar schools, "'give poor people the same choice that well-off children have always had'. http://politics.guardian.co.uk/toryleader/story/0,,1604710,00.html

A Bristol University study on April 9 2007 said that "for the minority of poor children who do gain a place in a grammar school, the advantage this bestows appears to be greater than for more affluent children," http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6539721.stm