Gove rejects Labour accusation that the government is forcing the Bill through too quickly

The Academies Bill was given its second reading in the House of Commons yesterday amid accusations the government was rushing through its controversial education policy.

Just weeks after education secretary Michael Gove cancelled the 拢55bn 黑洞社区 Schools for the Future programme, the government proposed that all schools should have the opportunity to apply for academy status. Such a status would remove a school from local authority control and give it access to central government funding.

Labour has accused the coalition of forcing the Academies Bill through Parliament using a compressed schedule normally reserved for terror legislation or constitutional affairs.

Ed Balls, shadow education secretary, said: 鈥淚 cannot remember a time when a major reform of public services was rushed through Parliament in a way that鈥檚 only normally done for emergencies like anti-terrorism legislation.鈥�

Gove said there was 鈥渁mple time鈥� for scrutiny of the Academies Bill. Talking on the BBC Gove said: 鈥淩ushed laws can be bad laws.鈥�

鈥淏ut if you鈥檝e had people who鈥檝e been waiting for five years, if you have, as we have, hundreds of schools who are anxious to take advantage of these proposals, then it is understandable that you want to honour a manifesto commitment.鈥�

Debate on the Bill was held as hundreds of pupils joined teachers and construction workers outside Parliament to protest against the cancellation of BSF.

Speaking at the demonstration, Balls said that axing BSF was 鈥渆xactly the wrong thing to do now.鈥� Cutting the schools rebuilding programme would increase unemployment and ruin the economic recovery, he said.

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