Tony Blair has appeared alongside Ruth Kelly in a public show of support for his under-fire Cabinet minister.
The pair appeared before cameras in Downing Street a day after she faced criticism from some Labour MPs for sending her son to a private school.
Colleagues - and even Tory leader David Cameron - rejected claims on Monday that she had acted hypocritically but the Prime Minister did not comment personally on the issue.
Co-chairing a summit on social housing on Tuesday morning, neither Mr Blair nor Ms Kelly referred to the row, but their joint appearance will be seen as confirmation of the Premier's continued support.
Ms Kelly, a former Education Secretary, insisted on Monday that she had done the "right thing" in following professional advice over the needs of her child, who has "substantial" learning difficulties.
She was forced to speak out after being named as the minister involved in the story - first reported without names in the Mail on Sunday the previous day.
In an emotional plea for understanding, she insisted she had to do the "right thing" for her child, who is believed to have dyslexia.
That meant taking him out of the state system for a "couple of years", she said, stressing that she would not be seeking to take advantage of any taxpayer-funded help available.
Her other children would remain in the state sector, she added.
"I appreciate that some will disagree with my decision," she said in a statement. "I understand why, but we all face difficult choices as parents and I, like any mother, want to do the right thing for my son - that has been my sole motivation."
