Political observers say the row smacks of electioneering ahead of next year's parliamentary race.
On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott promised top universities such as Oxford and Cambridge financial incentives to increase recruitment from state schools - part of what is expected to be a huge wave of public spending in the coming year. But it may have picked the wrong example for its crusade. Of the five accepted into the university's Magdalen College, where Spence applied, three are women, three are ethnic minorities and two are from state schools - all with straight A's. But overall figures are less encouraging for state school students. About 85per cent of high school students attend state schools, but they account for only about 45per cent of students at Oxbridge, according to government figures.