Prime Minister Andy Burnham has denied promising more than he can achieve, as he vowed to offer “equal paths for all young people”.
Asked whether he was at risk of trying to do more than he could realistically deliver, following a string of policy announcements in his first days in office, he told journalists in Derby: “No. If you look back at my record as mayor of Greater Manchester, what I say I do.
“People know that I promised to change the buses, and I did. It’s my style. I don’t say things and then not do them.
“And the thing I’m announcing today, I think, does bring some hope.
“It brings some hope to a lot of young people in this country who know the education system is not built for them.
“Well, now they have a Prime Minister who’s saying ‘I am for you, and I will build an education system that works for you, that treats all students coming through school as equals, the academic and the technical routes in parity, offering equal paths for all young people.’
“And I think that brings hope to a lot of young people, to a lot of families in this country.”
Mr Burnham added that young people “should be able to see those opportunities from school,” and “at the moment they can’t”.
“At 14, they can’t see that path ahead of them. Well, I’m going to put that path in front of them.”