Theresa May today unveiled her plan to expand academic selection and bring back grammar schools – sending most of the Labour party into high dudgeon.
However, one usually-animated member of the front bench, shadow defence secretary Emily Thornberry, has remained deathly silent on the issue.
Heat Street wonders whether it could be because her son is himself the beneficiary of selective education, having attended the august Dame Alice Owen’s school in Hertfordshire.
Thornberry was accused of hypocrisy over his schooling in 2005, when she was standing for her seat of Islington South and Finsbury, but weathered the storm, won her seat, and has been in Ed Miliband’s and Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinets.
Meanwhile her son has reaped the full benefit of an Owen’s education, becoming one of its many pupils to make their way to an elite university.
Indeed, Heat Street fondly recalls quaffing champagne with him at an Oxbridge garden party some years ago, and looks admiringly on his career since.
Thornberry’s frontbench colleague Angela Rayner yesterday insisted “selection at 11 leads to a more unequal country”.
Jon Ashworth redoubled the party’s efforts today, saying “Labour wants the best for all our children, not just the lucky few the Tories care about… we will be opposing this regressive policy every step of the way.”
Heat Street is watching closely to see how enthusiastically Thornberry – who has yet to respond to requests to comment – takes up the call.