A HISTORY teacher quizzed a Tory MP at a hustings event arranged for students at Hereford Sixth Form College.

Parliamentary candidates for Hereford and South Herefordshire took to the floor to explain their policies and take questions from students last Tuesday.

As the event neared the end, a history teacher called Dave Christie, walked in while Tory MP Jesse Norman was answering a question about his party taxing the super rich.

Mr Christie shouted: "Tell me how the Tory party is funded, Jesse."

It caused quite a stir among the students as Mr Christie, who is a member of the Labour party, then went on to ask Mr Norman why he sent his children to Eton, when he heralds state schools and why Eton and Harrow are classed as charitable organisations.

Mr Norman said: "I am not going to talk about my family- I never talk about them. I don't exploit them. I have never discussed my wife or children."

He said he went to a primary state school and then to Eton.

Mr Norman said Harrow and Eton are supposed to be philanthropic organisations, but when Mr Christie interrupted further the discussion was stopped by Marco Martinelli who was running the debate.

The Labour candidate, Anna Coda, could not attend the hustings as she was in a car collision in the morning. She was left bruised and attended A&E.

Labour activist Jo Kelly stepped in to take her place and heralded Labour’s role in introducing the NHS and how her party would make sure it was not privatised.

Diana Toynbee, for the Green party, and Lucy Hurds, for the Liberal Democrats, also attended. Nigel Ely, for UKIP, was invited but said he was unable to attend due to family commitments.

One of the topics up for debate was fracking.

Ms Toynbee said her party was against fracking as she does not believe any of the positive propaganda, which she said is put out by people who want to make money from the venture.

Mr Norman, however, said there was a case for fracking, but it needed to be properly assessed and evaluated.

In answer to another question regarding why funding for sixth form students is £1,000 less than for school pupils, Mr Norman said he continually campaigns for this to be made fairer.

While Mrs Hurds said she has been campaigning for no VAT for sixth forms and better funding for education in the county to match the rest of the UK.