Education Secretary Michael Gove to visit Sandwell

Education Secretary Michael Gove has pledged to visit Sandwell after schools in the borough were wrongly promised new buildings.

Most secondary schools in Sandwell were told they had been granted millions to rebuild or refurbish their premises despite the latest round of cuts.

But, in reality, nine projects in the £340million scheme had been axed.

Mr Gove published a list of 715 projects hit by the cancellation of the £55billion Building Schools for the Future programme on Monday, but it contained at least 25 errors.

Now the Education Secretary could face legal challenges from the firms expecting to build new schools, while some may plan to sue after losing contracts.

Last night, Mr Gove made an unreserved apology amid stormy scenes in the House of Commons, after Sandwell Labour MP Tom Watson brought the blunder to light and demanded Mr Gove apologise to MPs in person.

Mr Watson called Mr Gove a "miserable pipsqueak" and accused him of dashing the hopes of scores of schoolchildren.

The West Bromwich East MP told him: "I can assure you that there is nothing synthetic about the anger felt in Sandwell.

"He can embarrass himself, he can disgrace his party, but what is intolerable is that he has cynically raised the hopes of hundreds and thousands of families.

"You're a miserable pipsqueak of a man, Gove."

Speaker John Bercow ordered Mr Watson to withdraw the remark.

Mr Gove admitted errors had been made in Sandwell and claimed a revised list had been published.

The senior Tory "unreservedly" apologised for the mistake and had sought to ensure the corrected version was "as complete as possible and as accurate as possible."

Understanding Mr Watson's "passion" about the issue, Mr Gove pledged to visit Sandwell to speak to the schools affected, to "underline how sorry I feel towards them and to the parents and teachers involved."