BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MPs have told a Labour member to stick to his home territory amid claims he would consider getting rid of the 11-plus exams.

David Chaytor, MP for Bury North and a member of the education select committee, was quoted last week as saying either he or a colleague would probably try to get the education bill amended to get rid of the 11-plus.

He was also quoted as saying it was contradictory to say selection was unacceptable for most parts of the country, while endorsing it elsewhere.

There are 163 grammar schools in the country, and in Buckinghamshire there is a fully selective system whereby all 11-year-olds can take the tests.

Chesham and Amersham MP Cheryl Gillan said the member for Bury North should keep his nose out of Buckinghamshire.

"If an area has decided it wants to have selection, it should have it. He has never spoken to me about it," she said.

Wycombe MP Paul Goodman, said: "I think it is an intrusion by Bury into Bucks. The selective system works in Bucks and we don't want him telling us how to run Bucks."

Aylesbury MP David Lidington was more polite, saying this showed Mr Chaytor to be unreconstituted diehard old Labour.

He said he would not be surprised if Mr Chaytor did try to get the bill amended because he was a straightforward man.

But he said he expected the Prime Minister to oppose the amendment.

He said: "Within the last two weeks he said that he doesn't support moves to get rid of existing grammar schools and we expect to have him stay with that."

Official Tory policy is to keep the status quo not to get rid of grammar schools and not bring in new ones.

Mrs Gillan said she supported Bucks, which had good grammar and good upper schools, and to use the bill to attack grammar schools was appalling.

Mr Chaytor was unavailable for comment before the newspaper went to press.