A CONSERVATIVE MP has given his "100 per cent" support to grammar schools after Tory party chiefs' decision to ditch them.

Nigel Evans, MP for Ribble Valley, spoke in support of Tory Europe spokesman Graham Brady who was slammed by party chiefs for defending grammar schools.

Conservative leader David Cameron is expected to fire Mr Brady for his remarks that grammar schools raise standards for everybody in selective areas, going against Mr Cameron's decision to scrap the 11-plus.

Shadow Education Sec-retary David Willetts recently announced that no more grammar schools - long seen as a bedrock of Tory education policy - should be built. He said city academies "accessible to all" should replace acad-emic selection, which "entrenched advantage" and discouraged social mobility.

Mr Evans, whose const-ituency includes Clitheroe Grammar School said: "No-one can blame any MP for defending the excellent education in their constit-uency as Graham Brady has done. I am blessed with an excellent grammar school and fantastic comprehen-sives in Ribble Valley.

"I 100 per cent support existing grammar schools and believe it is wrong to concentrate all our attention on those areas that are doing well. We should be con-centrating on extending good education to those who do not have it, whether in grammar schools, compre-hensives or other means.

"I believe that emphasis in the original speech by David Willetts was interpreted as an attack on the grammar system and that should not have been allowed to happen.

"It should have concentrated on extending academies."

Mr Willetts said although the existing 160 grammar schools will be kept, he wants to focus on city academies to create opportunities for poorer children.