RUTH KELLY staked her future on winning round Labour MPs to support the Government’s controversial school reforms yesterday as rebel backbenchers demanded further concessions.

The Education Secretary refused to bow to demands to lift her power of veto on allowing local authorities to set up new community schools, as new independent trusts will be able to.

Ms Kelly, who will publish her Bill tomorrow setting out in detail the Government’s plans for a new generation of trust schools, took personal responsibility for rallying round Labour MPs before its key Second Reading vote on March 13.

She told BBC One’s Sunday AM: “I am very confident that the Bill we are going to publish is a Bill which is not only good but will command consent and a Bill that we can unite behind. It is clearly my task to ensure that we do.”

Later, she added: “We will get through with Labour support.”

Asked about her own Cabinet position, Ms Kelly replied: “What I can say is that this is a job that I just absolutely relish. If there is a reason why I came into politics . . . it is a chance to translate Labour values into action, a chance to really make a big difference to the standards of education for children throughout this country, including the most disadvantaged.”

Rebel MPs want a right for local education authorities to set up “community schools” if that is what they think is best for pupils. But Ms Kelly said that it was important that local authorities should “make the case” to the Secretary of State for a new school before being allowed to go ahead with establishing it.

Asked whether that meant the veto would stay, she replied: “Absolutely, just so they do think through what is in the best interests of the children.”

The Education Secretary, who previously gave ground by accepting that local authorities should retain powers to set up new schools, refused demands to go further and lift her condition that this would require her consent.

Over the weekend, in an olive branch to rebels, the Department for Education and Skills announced that an extra £30 million would be made available to encourage local authorities to set up federations between successful and failing schools.

But John Cruddas, a Labour backbencher and former Downing Street aide who is unhappy with the plans, said that more concessions would be required to win over rebels such as himself. “There are still substantial issues to be resolved,” he told GMTV’s Sunday Programme. “Over the last week I think we have seen a change in the sort of atmosphere around this debate with an assumption that the Prime Minister is now going to rely on Conservative votes to get this through.

“I do think that is dangerous, if it is a shift, and I think the priority over the next period, for the Prime Minister and the Government, will be to corral and secure as much Labour support for these proposals as possible.

“If that means tilting them slightly to secure that support, that should be the primary objective rather than relying on Conservative support for a primary public services policy of a Labour Government recently re-elected.”

But another potential rebel, Nick Raynsford, announced that he was satisfied by the pledge to add into the Bill a ban on further academic selection.

David Willetts, the Shadow Education Secretary, accused Mr Blair of “diluting” the school reforms but said the Conservatives would vote for it provided that it remained a step in the right direction.

Mr Willetts told BBC One’s Politics Show: “If we think that overall the Bill will increase the freedom of schools, even if it is not as much as we would like, even if it has got blemishes and flaws, then yes we would back the Bill.”

CONCESSIONS

• No state school may interview pupils, including faith schools. Admissions code will be strengthened as all schools will have to “act in accordance” rather than have “regard” to it
  
  
• Schools may choose to become trusts. A commissioner will advise schools on trusts and ban “unsuitable” sponsors. Schools can remove themselves from a trust
  
  
• Councils can set up new schools — as long as the Education Secretary agrees
  
  
• Should a trust school close, assets will return to the council. Playing fields may not be sold without informing the council

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