SHAME: Sir Peter defends his school closures

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 12th Jul 2004

"I am not making any apologies;I am not making any apologies at all for closing Mary Linwood School, I am proud of the fact" Sir Peter Soulsby, Labour candidate in Leicester South

Viewers of a live TV debate between the candidates in the Leicester South byelection were stunned when Labour candidate Sir Peter Soulsby, clearly showing signs of desperation as Labour support plunges, said: "I am not making any apologies at all for closing Mary Linwood School, I am proud of the fact"

When Sir Peter was in charge of Leicester he closed six secondary schools in the city. Sir Peter struggled to defend Labour's record on the war in Iraq and the school closures and got increasingly agitated. Sir Peter

started waving his finger and pointing at Lib Dem candidate Parmjit Gill, who highlighted the Lib Dems

opposition to the war and to Sir Peter's closures.