The Conservative donor and academy trust founder described by Michael Gove as his 鈥渉ero鈥 for 鈥渟aving schools鈥 has switched to Labour, saying they are now the 鈥減arty for people who care about education鈥. Lord Harris, who founded the Harris Federation academy trust which has become somewhat of a flagbearer for Gove鈥檚 reforms, said the Conservatives are 鈥渘o longer the party of high and rising standards鈥 and 鈥渙ut of ideas鈥. Writing in the Times newspaper, he said academies have been 鈥渁 central part” of delivering high standards, evidence-led practice and focusing on outcomes. Phillipson ‘gets teaching’ But he said 鈥渋t is no longer the Conservatives who are the party of high and rising standards, putting our children and their schools front and centre. Despite a merry-go-round of ministers in recent years, they are out of ideas. Labour manifesto 2024: All the schools policies 鈥淚 have watched with admiration as Sir Keir Starmer and Bridget Phillipson, Labour鈥檚 impressive education spokeswoman, have set out Labour鈥檚 stall. 鈥淪he gets teaching, knows that expanding and improving the teacher workforce and tackling the epidemic of mental ill health among our young people are both vital, and will focus on making schools better, not fiddling with how well-run schools are operating. 鈥淎t this election the party for people who care about education is, as it was a quarter of a century back, Labour. The torch of change has passed.鈥 The comments will be a blow to the Conservatives who regularly cite their record on education in national campaigning, referencing England’s rise in the international league tables. Conservative ministers also cite Harris as a success story of their reforms. Gove’s academy hero In , then education secretary Gove said Harris had 鈥渆arned hero status鈥 as he has 鈥渄one more to help working-class children than any Labour politician since Attlee and Bevan鈥. Things like “strict discipline” and the trust being led by “traditionalist teachers” had led to “near-miraculous” results, Gove wrote. Harris is regularly at the top of the table for attainment among the biggest trusts which take on failing schools. Of its 54 schools that have now been inspected, all are either 鈥榞ood鈥 or 鈥榦utstanding鈥 鈥 with the majority getting the top grade. In 2019, its first ever school was rated below 鈥榞ood鈥 by Ofsted. Inspectors found pupils were being entered into 鈥渋nappropriate鈥 qualifications. Labour has said little about its plans for academisation. But Harris referenced the party鈥檚 recruitment commitment 鈥 to deliver 6,500 new teachers 鈥 alongside its focus on mental health. Harris chief executive Sir Dan Moynihan said last year that government must tackle the 鈥渟tretched to hell鈥 support services feeding into schools, which have left teachers doing 鈥渕ore and more with services that aren鈥檛 really our business鈥. Five policy priorities for closing disadvantage gaps He estimated 拢500,000 of his budget was being used to support his most disadvantaged pupils 鈥 some of whom live in temporary housing riddled with damp and cockroaches. Writing as part of Schools Week鈥檚 Sector鈥檚 manifesto series, Moynihan called for a 鈥渏oined-up anti-poverty strategy鈥, alongside an 鈥渁ccelerated鈥 programme to put mental health leads in every school. Labour has been previously criticised by supporters of Gove’s reforms over pledges to introduce more skills to the curriculum. But the party’s manifesto stated any curriculum change will “build on the success of ‘knowledge-rich syllabuses”.