Hague steps into class war

William Hague suspects a Labour backtrack

By BBC News Online's political correspondent Nick Assinder.

William Hague has stepped into the so-called class war by accusing Labour of presiding over a liberal elite in education.

Mapping out his plans to re-impose discipline in schools, he used the opportunity to turn the argument over elitism back on to the government.

His remarks have come as the prime minister appears set to try and calm the furore over Chancellor Gordon Brown's comments on Oxford university and the case of Laura Spence.

There have been suggestions that Mr Blair has been rattled by the effect Mr Brown's comments created and the fact that other ministers have readily leapt on the anti-elitism bandwagon.

Tony Blair seeking to calm issue

While it may have played extremely well with core Labour supporters, the prime minister is worried that it may turn off exactly the middle England voters who swept him into power three years ago.

So, while the chancellor remains unrepentant and other ministers are seeking to widen the attacks on elitism, Mr Blair will offer a more conciliatory tone in a speech on Wednesday.

Major hits

But Mr Hague, sensing that the prime minister might be retreating, is not about to let the issue rest.

He has scored a series of major hits on the government recently, most notably over law and order, asylum seekers and pensions.

But the chancellor appeared to seize back the initiative with his assault on the admission policies of Oxford University.

For the first time in months, Labour seemed to have a good, populist issue to run with.

He made his attack while Mr Blair was on paternity leave but officials insisted his speech had been cleared by the prime minister.

Second thoughts

However, there remains a question mark over exactly to what extent the prime minister was involved in planning the assault and how much extra "oomph" was added by Mr Brown.

And, in any case, it now appears that the prime minister may be having second thoughts.

What many backbenchers fear is that the government is trying to have it all ways and is frightened of picking a knock-down fight with any group.

Mr Brown, who still has an echo of the Old Labour party inside him, was wheeled out to woo disillusioned core voters while Mr Blair will try to keep the middle classes on board, they argue.

That has dismayed some who believe Mr Brown was on to a winner and that the issue should be widened to tackle other "elitist" sectors of society.

Former Tory prime minister Margaret Thatcher was often at her strongest when taking on what she saw as vested interests and Labour could do with a similar target.

What they fear is that, by appearing to backtrack, Mr Blair will again disappoint traditional supporters while failing to reassure middle England.

That would also play into Mr Hague's hands and allow him to pursue his counter attack on Labour's liberal elite.