David Cameron's praise for man who condemned Leytonstone stab 'attacker'

Prime Minister David Cameron has thanked the person who shouted "you ain't no Muslim, bruv" in the aftermath of the Leytonstone knife attack.

The Conservative party leader described the incident in which a 56-year-old man was injured as "hideous".

Eyewitnesses said the attacker said "this is for Syria" during the incident on Saturday evening, with another man then heard to shout "you ain't no Muslim, bruv".

Mr Cameron said: "Some of us have dedicated speeches and media appearances and soundbites and everything to this subject, but 'you ain't no Muslim, bruv' said it all much better than I could have done.

"Thank you, because that will be applauded around the country."

Muhaydin Mire, of Sansom Road, Leytonstone, appeared this morning at Westminster Magistrates' Court charged with attempted murder and was remanded in custody until his next court appearance on Friday.

Mr Cameron was speaking at the De Ferrers Academy in Burton, Staffordshire, where he said his Government is "making progress" on delivering key manifesto pledges on the NHS, home ownership and apprentices.

He said: "A manifesto shouldn't be a wish list, it should be a checklist.

"And that's why, since the election, we haven't been tacking off in a new direction, but marking off the commitments we made."

Mr Cameron announced a number of new initiatives, including expansion of the shared-ownership scheme - which allows people in England to part-buy, part-rent properties, increasing their share of the ownership over time.

He also said that there would be "zero tolerance" of failing schools and announced that academies which are deemed to be "failing" or "coasting" could be taken over by new leadership.

He said: "Education is about fulfilling a child's true potential, not just avoiding failure.

"So a school that does 'just enough' is not good enough - not for anyone."

On apprentices, the Prime Minister announced what he called an Apprentice 2020 vision, which will ensure that 2.3% of all public sector staff is formed of apprentices in a bid to "deliver the skills young people need".

Mr Cameron also reaffirmed his plans for a seven day health service, calling it "one of our biggest manifesto pledges" but added that doctors and nurses will not be expected to work seven days in a row without breaks.

He said: "I don't want us to stand still for the next five years. I want us to move forward - taking on more arguments, creating newer ways of doing things, changing our country even more."