Anti-academy campaigners warn transport workers of 'black death'

The warning came after the new Labourite, who was moved from his post as schools minister to the Transport Department in Gordon Brown's reshuffle last week, said that he wanted to tackle the big strategic issues in his transport brief.

Hank Roberts of the Anti-Academies Alliance said that transport workers should be worried about what reforms the peer has in store for the already troubled sector as his disastrous education policies had resulted in the creeping privatisation of state schools.

Lord Adonis masterminded city academies and was regarded as a powerful influence over such unpopular policies as top-up fees and the reduction of the role of local education authorities.

Mr Roberts warned: "Lord Adonis will try to privatise any bits of the transport system that is not already privatised.

The welcome that transport workers should give him in his new post, should be like the welcome you would give to the black death arriving at your door."

Mr Roberts went on to welcome Lord Adonis's departure from the Department of Education as a boon for the Anti-Academies Alliance, which represents all major education unions and parent groups.

"Good riddance to bad rubbish," he said, warning: "We should not be deluded into believing that this government has given up on the idea of privatising state education. We must continue our fight against such measures."