BRITAIN'S biggest teachers' union has condemned the "sleaze and cronyism" at the heart of Tony Blair's embattled city academies' programme.

Delegates at the annual conference of the National Union of Teachers demanded that Prime Minister be jailed if he is found to have committed a crime by police investigating the "cash for honours" row.

The union unanimously backed an amendment lambasting the government over allegations that wealthy businessmen were offered honours in exchange for sponsoring an academy.

The motion said: "We condemn utterly the sleaze and cronyism (allegedly) revealed by the Sunday Times revelation that a peerage could be given for a donation of é10 million."

Police last week arrested Des Smith, a former headteacher who quit his job helping to recruit private backers for academies.

Detectives questioned him over reports that he had suggested academy sponsors would receive honours.

Hank Roberts, from Brent, north London, proposed the amendment. He told delegates gathered in Torquay: "If any crime has been committed, please jail the entire sleazy crew.

'Jail him'

"But if Tony Blair has committed a crime, let's jail him too."

Education minister Bill Rammell rejected any suggestion that financial support for city academies automatically resulted in honours.

Mr Rammell said: "If successful business people and others are prepared to give of their time, commitment and resources to support state schools and state education, I think that's a cause for celebration and it should not be a cause for denigration."

He added: "I have made it abundantly clear that there is no direct link between committing to an academy and receiving an honour."

A former leader of the NUT broke down as he described how stress and "government bullying" was forcing him to quit the profession.

John Illingworth, headteacher of Bentinck Primary and Nursery School in Nottingham, said serious mental health problems caused by work stress had "changed my life".

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