Labour will keep free schools

The chairman of the Conservative Party Grant Shapps said Labour's policy on free schools remains unchanged and still features a "load of bureaucracy attached".

The new shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt earlier signalled that the Labour party had dropped its opposition to the Conservatives' free schools policy.

Speaking to BBC News, Mr Shapps said: "This is the same old Labour policy. They have been saying this for months.

"Free schools will only be allowed in specific circumstances in specific areas with a whole load of bureaucracy attached."

Toby Young said Labour's new position on free schools is unfair to those not living in thriving cities.

Mr Young, who started a free school earlier this year, said it would leave those in rural communities unable to start free schools.

Labour's new shadow education secretary has expressed regret for dismissing the Conservatives' flagship free schools policy as a "vanity project for yummy mummies".

Tristram Hunt confirmed that a Labour government would not close down any of the free schools established under the reforms pioneered by Education Secretary Michael Gove. In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, he said:

Labour sources has said the party's position on free schools has not changed and that shadow education secretary Tristam Hunt was continuing with the plans for parent academies set out by his predecessor, Stephen Twigg.

Labour is "not in the business of taking free schools down, the newly appointed shadow education secretary has said today, after he signalled that the party would drop its opposition to the Conservatives' flagship free schools.

Tristam Hunt told the Mail on Sunday:

Read more: Labour 'will not close down free schools'

Labour has dropped its opposition to the Conservatives' free schools policy, the new shadow education secretary, Tristram Hunt has signalled.

The TV historian, who was among the big winners in Ed Miliband's shadow cabinet reshuffle, confirmed that a Labour government would not close down any of the free schools established under the reforms pioneered by Education Secretary Michael Gove.

According to the Mail on Sunday, he said the party would be coming forward with its own version of the scheme - which enables groups of parents and other organisations to set up schools outside local authority control - to be called parent-led academies (PLAs).