EDUCATION, education, education.

Many of you will remember these words, spoken by Tony Blair, during the election of 1997.

The argument as to whether his Governments delivered upon this promise can be debated over and over again.

For sure, one cannot argue with the fact that, proportionately, a greater degree of the nation's wealth was spent in this area.

By 2009, 5.85% of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a measure of our nation’s total finances, was allocated to education.

Obviously, the United Kingdom has suffered a recession (2008 onwards).

By 2015, the spending on education had fallen to 4.68%, and by 2020 the figure will be 4.07% of our GDP.

The net reduction, 1.17% of GDP, when costs continue to rise, is significant.

This is not meant to indicate any preference for any political party.

Unfortunately, it seems that education is not being mentioned within the election campaigns to any great degree.

Of course, there are other very important areas that our politicians wish to highlight: Brexit, the economy, the NHS, Taxation etc.

However, the absolute centrality of education to our future prosperity should not be ignored by our leaders.

An educated workforce, high quality apprenticeships, support for our most vulnerable children, a decrease in teacher shortages, would impact upon the economy, health, and how we face up to the challenges of an uncertain future.

I would urge everyone, when confronted upon their doorsteps by representatives from any party, to ask them exactly what they will be doing for education.

If they cannot answer clearly and swiftly, with a clear commitment to our young people, then I will be placing that consideration at the top of my priorities in the polling booth.