37. Similarly, in recent statements, Tony Blair explained that he had been wrong to argue for "standards rather than structures"; in fact a structure of choice and competition was important too:
"At first, we put a lot of faith in centrally driven improvements in performance and undoubtedly without that, we would never got some of the immediate uplift in results. But over time, I shifted from saying 'its standards not structures' to realising that school structures could affect standards." 27
38. But on 10 July, Ed Balls reverted to the "standards not structures" formulation:
"In this statement today, I can announce immediate steps we can now take to reinforce our focus on standards in the classroom and personalised learning; to back teachers and improve discipline in and out of school; and to strengthen school leadership." 28
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27 Blair, T. (2006), Speech at the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust Conference, 30 November.
28 Balls, E. (2007), Hansard, 10 July, col. 1322.