What have North Sea oil and gas production and grammar school education got in common? Both are subject to a fiddle by which they can be expanded while the government pretends they are not expanding. After David Cameron changed his mind on grammar schools and said he wouldn’t allow new ones to be created, a deal was done whereby existing schools could open a ‘satellite’ on another site in another town. Hence Tunbridge Wells Grammar School opened a new site in Sevenoaks – a separate school in all but name, and yet the government could claim that it had stuck to its promise of no new grammars.

The cabinet battle over the energy crisis is still far from resolved

The cabinet battle over the energy crisis is still far from resolved

Rachel Reeves has suggested that the present government may take the same approach to North Sea oil. While Ed Miliband has hunkered down on his promise not to allow licences for the development of new fields – in spite of a gathering oil crisis which could see shortages of fuel within weeks – the........

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