What is really going on in politics? Get our daily email briefing straight to your inbox Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A Tory minister has been skewered on live TV for unveiling a wave of new 'dogma' grammar schools that most children will never attend.

Education Secretary Justine Greening was hauled over the coals by presenter Charlie Stayt in the memorable clash on BBC Breakfast.

In a major speech this morning, she is due to justify lifting the ban on new grammars - a pet project of the Prime Minister - by saying they will help more "ordinary working families".

She has refused to rule out quotas to ensure she hits her target.

Yet her definition of "ordinary" doesn't include any pupil who has been eligible for free school meals in the last six years, or anyone in care.

Instead it means families who aren't on the breadline but whose income is below the national average.

Labour rival Angela Rayner has accused Ms Greening of "fiddling the numbers" and "cooking the books".

And the Tory minister was forced to explain her definition over and over in a tough round of interviews today on morning TV.

She admitted the "status quo" on grammars had to change, but said the way to do that was plough more than £1billion into free schools, some of which will be selective.

Meanwhile more than 5,000 schools will see a 3% budget cut under a new funding formula, despite Ms Greening saying overall funding is at record levels.

And of the latest round of proposed free schools, the vast majority are in London and the south of England with just two in the north east.

Ms Greening received a rough ride by the time she reached the BBC Breakfast studio.

Presenter Mr Stayt told her: "You've used the phrase 'ordinary working families' in pretty much every answer.

(Image: Getty)

"The fact is, most people watching this programme who are from ordinary working families... we can assume that's pretty much everyone who works and they've got kids.

"Most of their kids don't go to grammar schools and won't go to grammar schools. The vast majority do not.

"You seem to be spending an awful lot of time on this grammar schools thing. Are you really convinced in it?

"And while you're talking about grammar schools, most teachers say they're struggling to make ends meet.

"Parents have got letters from the school saying 'can we have a fiver, can we have 20 quid to help us get by?'

"You seem to be stuck in a dogma about grammar schools when the rest of the education system is flailing around trying to make ends meet."

(Image: REX/Shutterstock)

Ms Greening replied that we "already have grammars in our education system" and want them to "play a stronger role" because they are "very popular with parents."

But the BBC host pressed on: "I want you to talk about most people's children.

"Why are we putting more money into a system that's failing?"

The Education Secretary will soon unveil a White Paper on the government's costly 'vanity project' to lift the ban on new grammar schools.

In a speech in affluent Twickenham, south west London, she will say: "This is a Government that believes that ordinary working families shouldn’t have to 'make do'.

"We believe they deserve better than that. Because ordinary working families are the backbone of our economy, of our country."

Ms Greening later told the BBC grammar schools "do a fantastic job of closing the attainment gap", despite the Sutton Trust's chief executive warning: "What we found is grammar schools aren’t serving the poorest children".

Labour's Ms Rayner, meanwhile, faced charges of hypocrisy when she came on air to attack the policy.

She was reminded Labour's communications chief sent his children to a grammar school.

And the Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott and Shadow Attorney General Shami Chakrabarti both sent kids to private school.

Today programme host Nick Robinson retorted the public had a clear phrase for this: "One rule for them and another for everybody else".