DISADVANTAGED school children who don’t want to go to university should be able to access some form of student loan, according to MP Philip Davies.

The Conservative MP, whose Shipley constituency includes Cullingworth and Denholme, insisted pupils could benefit from loans allowing them to access work experience in large cities and other opportunities that may otherwise be out of their reach.

He said such a scheme could improve social mobility in areas of the country which may offer fewer opportunities than other regions.

Speaking in a backbench debate on educational attainment in Yorkshire, Mr Davies told the Commons “We give loans to people who want to go to university and progress through a university route.

“And I just wondered why other people, if perhaps university wasn’t for them, shouldn’t also be able to get some form of student loan to perhaps allow them to do things like coming down to London to access some work experience placements.

“How about actually giving some loans to some of the most disadvantaged people in the country to allow them access to pursue their particular career, and give them opportunities in Yorkshire that perhaps they get in other parts of the country.

“Social mobility is really what the Conservative Party should be all about, and I think we’ve got to look much more imaginatively at that.”

Retired teacher Anna Scott said financial assistance would help to tackle the “postcode disadvantage” holding some young people back.

“I came across many pupils who had no desire to go to university, but struggled to get a foot on the career ladder. In some cases, where they lived played a major part in this,” she said.

“Children living in cities like London have a huge advantage when it comes to work placements. It’s totally unacceptable that, in the 21st century, the place where you grow up determines your career.”