Parents could set up new schools under Labour government, says shadow education secretary Mr Hunt, appointed last week, said that Labour was in favour of parents setting up their own schools in the public sector. Such schools would be called "parent-led academies," but have fewer freedoms than free schools in areas like staff pay. They would also only be allowed to start up in areas where there is a shortage of places. "If you are a group of parents, a group of social entrepreneurs, teachers, interested in setting up a school in areas where you need new school places, then the Labour government will be on your side," he told the BBC. However, he questioned whether some of the freedoms given to free schools are necessary, suggesting that Labour could revert to a system of national pay bargaining for teachers. In an earlier newspaper interview, Mr Hunt said he regretted describing free schools in 2010 as a "vanity project for yummy mummies." He said: "I regret those comments because I think any parents, be they yummy mummies or faddy daddies, involved in the education of their children is great." In the BBC interview, Mr Hunt also hinted at Labour support for the restoration of polytechnics, as part of a focus on the "forgotten 50 per cent" of school leavers who do not go to university.