Call for exam regulators to be 'a million miles' away from political interference

Exam regulators should be given independence to put them "a million miles" from political interference, Damian Green , the shadow education secretary, said yesterday.

He told the Conservative party conference the new system of AS-levels should be abolished and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority given the same freedom as the Bank of England to restore faith in the exam system.

Examiners yesterday started the task of rechecking grades awarded to more than 90,000 candidates with results due next Tuesday.

Mr Green lambasted ministers over the crisis, saying: "Ask anyone who took their A-levels this year if they trust the Government on education. Ask the 90,000 students who worked hard for years and who don't yet know whether they were fiddled out of the grades they deserved.

"Tony Blair has the cheek to complain about cynicism. If you are an 18-year-old who has been cheated out of the university place you deserve, you have every right to be cynical."

Mr Green detailed Conservative policy initiatives including new £5,000 state scholarships to pay for children at failing schools to be educated elsewhere.

Annesley Abeyakoon, 18, from Brent East, urged the Government to "rip up every AS-level paper in this country" and criticised ministers over the crisis. He said: "I have been through it and I'm furious. Estelle Morris must go."

Mr Abeyakoon is on a gap year before taking a place to read politics at Birmingham University after failing to gain his first choice university. He was awarded three Bs in his A-levels rather than the A and two Bs he needed.

He said: "The Secretary of State for Education has only succeeded in demoralising thousands of A-level students across the country."

John Penrose, prospective parliamentary candidate for Weston-super-Mare, accused ministers of "putting spin and PR ahead of exam results".

Richard Hilton, a conservative member of the National Union of Students executive, said: "A-level results have been manipulated for party-political reasons to save the Government being embarrassed by grade inflation."