Published: 24 November, 2011
by JOHN GULLIVER

PULPIT politics came forth at the recent funeral of New Labour pollster Philip Gould when the Reverend Alan Moses clothed his sermon with a veiled attack on the Tories’ education policies – with education minister Michael Gove sitting yards away in front of him in the pews.

The service, at the beautiful All Saints church in Margaret Street, Fitzrovia, was very “high Anglican” with communion and incense.

And dotted among the new and not-so-new Labour mourners were Kinnock and Prescott, Blair, Brown and Mandelson.

Philip had failed his 11-plus and got just one O-level.

He had gone back to education in his 20s and, as the Rev Moses pointed out, he was dead set against any selection in education.

Gove looked at his feet as the vicar told the packed ­congregation this.

“He felt the doors of opportunity were closing as higher education is no longer free,” said Rev Moses.