A NINE-YEAR-OLD pupil at Pilgrims Way School says he'll never vote Labour after being fobbed off by Tony Blair.
Ben Bushell wrote to the Prime Minister asking if he could help the school raise £80,000 for a special needs classroom.
Mum Rachel, who works at the school's nursery, takes up the story.
"He's a very bright boy and he was reading the minutes of the Parent Teacher and Friends Association when he said: 'I know what I'll do, I'll write to Tony Blair'. I said I doubted whether he would be the right person to write to and he said: 'Don't worry Mummy, I'll do what he does and trick him into giving us the money'. He's very astute for a nine-year-old!"
So off to 10 Downing Street Ben's letter went. In it, the young pupil wrote how much he was looking forward to seeing headteacher Jane Wilkinson's face when Mr Blair handed over the keys to the new classroom. But the response was rather more lukewarm.
"The letter just said something like: 'The Prime Minister always likes to hear from schools and sends his best wishes,'" said Rachel. "Ben said: 'I'll never vote for his team.'"
Pilgrims Way hopes to raise £80,000 for a special needs teaching room.
Having seen a bid for the cash to Surrey County Council fail, it is now hoping to raise the money itself.
Headteacher Jane Wilkinson said that £30,000 could possibly be found from the school budget and that Hamlyn Books have donated £2,000, leaving a target of £48,000.
"We dearly want a space. At the moment we have to use the library but we can't efficiently use it because it's always used by other pupils. A special needs teaching room would allow special needs groups lessons to go on uninterrupted."
Pilgrims Way is a mainstream school that takes a number of special needs pupils between the ages of three and five who have conditions such as Asperger's Syndrome, Attention Deficit and Hyperactive Disorder and dyslexia.
Pictured right: Ben Bushell and Pilgrims Way headteacher Jane Wilkinson, with the short letter he received from Tony Blair. (FD11-127-03)