A Conservative MP believes his Nokia phone is the reason why the Education Secretary is not answering his pleas to repair a school.

Sir Charles Walker waved his mobile device in the Commons chamber as he jokingly questioned why “nothing happens” when he messages Nadhim Zahawi.

The MP for Broxbourne said: “Can we have an urgent debate about the Secretary of State for Education’s mobile telephone?

“For the past six months I’ve been lobbying him on behalf of Haileybury Turnford academy, the sixth form needs a new roof – it’s leaking, I’ve sent videos of water flooding in through the roof into buckets.

“The Secretary of State says ‘send me a text and I’ll see what I can do’, and I send him a text and it can’t be arriving because nothing happens.

“Now, I say this because the Secretary of State may have a smartphone and I have this wonderful little Nokia and maybe the two are not compatible.

“Can I make a serious point? I think it’s not fair on the Secretary of State for Education not to be receiving my texts and we need to find a fix to make sure in future action happens.”

Commons Leader Mark Spencer replied: “I do not underestimate the effort (Sir Charles) goes to in typing the text on that phone.

“But I will make sure his comments are passed to the Secretary of State for Education.”