Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says that under his leadership, there will be no return to selection in schools.

In his first speech as leader to the party conference, he said that the party wanted to focus on the aspirations of all children rather than a select few.

Although he stopped short of saying he wanted the abolition of the 164 remaining grammars in the country - 33 of which are in Kent and six in Medway - he made clear that he would not countenance any further selection in schools.

He told the conference in Brighton that the party won't bring back selection because "“because we have aspirations for all children, not just a few”.

Although he was loudly cheered for the declaration, there was more applause when he said that under Labour, every school would be accountable to local government education authorities.

Dover MP Charlie Elphicke said the comments represented a threat to axe Kent grammar schools that was "deeply concerning."

Kent County Council is still waiting to hear from the government whether it will back a grammar school extension in Sevenoaks.

Labour Medway councillor Vince Cable said the bigger education issue was the lack of accountability of academies and free schools, which Mr Corbyn said he would deal with by making every school accountable to the local council.

Mr Corbyn said little about immigration directly but said there should be more sympathy for refugees.

Cllr Cable rejected the charge that he should have said more to reassure voters that the party understood public anxieties over the issue.

"The single big issue around immigration is the refugee crisis and he made our position on that very clear."

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Corbyn's debut conference speech as leader certainly cheered the audience in Brighton and was probably better than many might have expected.

But the question is whether he can deliver an alternative political prospectus to win over the doubters in areas like Kent where the party had a miserable time in May.

His failed to mention immigration and address the worries many voters continue to have about the on-going influx into the UK.

But his belief that there could be a more caring and compassionate type of politics without the personal abuse will appeal to those turned off by the shouting matches they see in the House of Commons.

That alone won't be enough, of course. But after a decidedly shaky start, the new leader came across as more sure-footed and his biggest asset remains his authenticity.