Election 2001: Hague attacks PM over schooling of his children

WILLIAM HAGUE delivered his most personal assault yet on Tony Blair yesterday, attacking him over his choice of school for his children.

The Conservative leader denounced the Prime Minister for stifling debate, turning a blind eye to sleaze and arrogantly preparing for an election landslide tomorrow. But his focus on Mr Blair's decision to send his three teenage children across London to avoid "second-rate schools" will enrage Downing Street.

Speaking at a rally in Staffordshire, Mr Hague said: "It's all right if you happen to be able to pick a school like the one that Tony Blair chose for his children.

"I don't blame him for that - like every parent, he wants what is best for his family. But why kick away the ladder for other parents who are just as ambitious for their children as he is?"

Mr Hague, who covered 500 miles in his penultimate day of campaigning, claimed the Prime Minister was "seriously rattled by the serious prospect of a Conservative revival".

The Tory leader said: "Today he was whingeing about what he regards as a lack of debate in the election campaign. That's pretty rich coming from the man who has cut back on Prime Minister's Question Time, neutered the House of Commons, stuffed the House of Lords, doubled the number of government spin-doctors and who now refuses to let the country see a televised debate between the party leaders."

He added: "The truth is Tony Blair says one thing and does another. He blames the media for stifling debate on the issues, while refusing to engage in a grown-up debate with his opponents.

"He boasts about his imminent landslide, then throws up his hands in horror when people take him at his word and tell him a Labour landslide is the last thing they want. If this is what he is like now, before the votes have been cast, is it any wonder that people want to burst his bubble?"

Earlier at a rally in Shrewsbury, Mr Hague said: "Never have we had a sleazier administration in the history of this country. This Government said they were going to be purer than pure, you remember.

"This is the Government that has given us Lord Simon and his shares, Lord Irvine and his wallpaper, Peter Mandelson and his undisclosed loan, Geoffrey Robinson and his offshore trust and everything you've ever heard about Keith Vaz. And all in one Parliament."

At the party's election press conference in London, Tory leaders insisted that they had not given up hope of defying the pollsters' predictions and winning an unlikely victory.

Francis Maude, the shadow Foreign Secretary, said: "This election isn't over till the fat lady sings and she hasn't even cleared her throat yet."

The party, which yesterday began its Final 72 Hours programme to rally its vote, also mounted a final drive on its key themes of tax and Europe.

Michael Portillo, the shadow Chancellor, claimed there was a pounds 10bn hole in Labour's economic plans, which would be filled with taxes on child benefit and private pension contributions, higher national insurance contributions from the better-off and raising the price of petrol.

He said: "Labour has spent four years putting up taxes - given the chance they would do so again."

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