Tory leadership candidate Liz Truss has been criticized for comments about the quality of education at her Leeds school, which she says has caused children to be “disappointed”.
Speaking at the launch of her economic plan, the foreign secretary is expected to describe how she saw “children who failed and were let down by low expectations” during her time at Roundhay School in the 1990s.
It is the latest in a series of claims about her education which have been refuted locally, this time by the council and local MP who called them “disgraceful”.
Fabian Hamilton, who has been the MP for Leeds North East since 1997, which includes Roundhay School, said Truss “has shown she knows little about” the area.
He said: “First she wrongly assumed that Roundhay was a red wall and now she is criticizing our hardworking teachers and school staff in Leeds.
“Roundhay School has been an excellent educational institution for decades and its staff and students are a real asset to our community. It’s a shame that Liz Truss decided to attack them today.
Truss’ claims that she grew up in the “red wall” seat were previously branded “ridiculous”, while her comments that she spent too much time learning about racism and sexism instead of reading or writing were also criticized .
The north Leeds school was rated ‘satisfactory’ by Ofsted inspectors during Truss’ time there and has now been rated ‘outstanding’.
Speaking about her plans to “level up in a conservative way” on Thursday, Truss, who went to Oxford University after Roundhay School, is expected to add: “Everyone in our great country should be born with equal opportunities and be able to know that the city they were born in has a chance.
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“My mission in politics is to give every child, every person, the best opportunity to succeed and that their success in life depends solely on their hard work and talents, not on their background or where they are from.”
Labor councilor Jonathan Pryor, who leads Leeds City Council’s education department, said: “The only people who are letting children down are the Tories. I think it’s important to remember that funding per pupil has been cut by 8% since the Tories came in in 2010. And if she does win this contest, I’d love to see her bring back some of those cuts to schools.
“She may have been at school here in Yorkshire – an education that actually got her into the race for Prime Minister, so it can’t have been that bad – but really all she seems to be doing now is destroy the north to try and get away from friends down in westminster.
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