The Conservatives in Brighton: Patten calls schools chief a nutter

JOHN PATTEN, the Secretary of State for Education, has made an extraordinary attack on two chief education officers, accusing one of being a 'nutter' and the other of being 'deeply lippy'.

At a fringe meeting on Tuesday night he said Tim Brighouse, Birmingham's chief education officer, was 'a madman let loose, wandering around the streets, frightening children'. He also referred to Roy Pryke, Kent's director of education, saying: 'Kent has got a deeply lippy chief education officer. He is on my list.'

The remarks, which place a further question mark over Mr Patten's political future, came at a meeting in Blackpool to promote opting out.

Mr Patten, whose constituency is Oxford West, said: 'Birmingham put this nutter in as its director of education - Brighouse. He used to be chief education officer for Oxfordshire. He couldn't run a press conference. He used to go around blathering away about educational dreams and visions. Oxfordshire education got into a frightful muddle, so he was promptly made Professor of Education at Keele as a reward.'

Professor Brighouse said yesterday: 'I heard about the remarks attributed to Mr Patten this morning. I know he has been ill lately, but I could not believe that a secretary of state could have made such statements, particularly as when he left Oxfordshire he congratulated me on my achievment in the post.'

Of Mr Pryke, Mr Patten said he had 'gone right over the top' last week when condemning the Government's opting out policy as 'confusing, incoherent, wasteful and corrosive'. Mr Pryke said he would rather keep personalities out of it and stick to the issues.

Mr Patten said: 'These were satirical - not literal - remarks as anyone present at the meeting would have realised. If they have caused offence, I apologise. I make no apologies, however, for highlighting the very poor quality of service being provided by a few local education authorities which are letting down very badly the children in their areas.'

Ann Taylor, Labour's education spokesman, said Mr Patten's 'bizarre vilification of two respected education officers' and his 'incoherent ravings' showed he was unfit to run the nation's schools.

Mr Patten's comments were taped by a pressure group, Parents Opposed to Opting Out. Jean Mace, a spokeswoman, was 'appalled at the deliberate rubbishing of dedicated professionals'.