Schools concrete crisis: Starmer attacks Sunak’s Tory ‘cowboys’ as full list of closures revealed

Prime minister ‘makes no apology’ for Raac decisions as Labour asks if he is ‘ashamed’ over crisis caused by 13 years of ‘botched jobs’

Expert explains why Raac is more dangerous than standard concrete

Sir Keir Starmer has blamed the crumbling concrete crisis on “cutting corners” and “sticking plaster politics” as he grilled the prime minister in PMQs today.

The Labour leader: “It’s the sort thing you expect from cowboy builders saying everyone else is wrong, everyone is to blame, protesting that they’re doing an effing good job even if the ceiling falls in – except in this case the cowboys are running this country.”

He added: “Isn’t he ashamed that after 13 years children are cowering under steel supports, stopping their classroom roof falling in.”

Rishi Sunak said he was not sorry for the decision to close around 100 of the 156 schools with Raac, saying he would “make no apology for acting decisively in the light of new information”.

It comes as the Department for Education has published a full list of the schools affected with Raac in England.

Are you a parent whose child has been affected by RAAC closures? E-mail alexander.butler@independent.co.uk

Key Points

• Starmer attacks Sunak’s Tory ‘cowboys’ amid concrete crisis
• Sunak ‘makes no apology’ for Raac decisions
• Headteachers angrily accuse Sunak of ‘dumping’ them in crumbling concrete fiasco
• 13 schools with crumbling concrete RAAC had repair work scrapped by Tories
• The full list of schools affected by Raac concrete

[6 September 2023 17:46 · Sam Rkaina]

Ministers refuse to hand over written advice on crumbling schools

Ministers have refused to heed Labour’s calls to hand over written advice the Prime Minister was given about crumbling concrete in schools while he was chancellor.

Rishi Sunak has become embroiled in the row about reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) after suggestions that he approved 50 schools to be rebuilt a year when he was chancellor, rejecting an application for 200 to be given the same treatment.

Concerns over the safety of Raac has caused more than 100 schools across England to be partially or fully closed.

Labour used their opportunity to lead a Commons debate on Wednesday to demand the publication of evidence sent by the Department for Education (DfE) to both No 10 and the Treasury relating to the crisis.

It also pushed for the release of all related correspondence ahead of the 2020 and 2021 spending reviews and the 2022 spring and autumn statements to show what advice Mr Sunak was given as chancellor about the need to replace Raac.

[6 September 2023 18:10 · Sam Rkaina]

Keegan defends refusal

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan told MPs that it would be “inaccurate, incomplete, and inappropriate to disclose the details requested of the sensitive negotiations between His Majesty’s Treasury and individual Government departments”.

She added: “Inaccurate because it would only show part of the picture of a complex decision-making process that takes place between multiple departments, multiple ministers, officials and other individuals with varying priorities.

“Incomplete because such a process has to look across the board at priorities and trade-offs for all Government departments to ensure we can deliver for everyone, yet this motion focuses on only one.

“Inappropriate because it would be categorically in breach of the longstanding tradition and expectation of confidential and often commercially sensitive information not being disclosed into the public domain, and of allowing officials to give full and frank advice to ministers.”

(PRU/AFP via Getty Images)

[6 September 2023 18:47 · Rebecca Thomas]

Concrete crisis threatens pledge to cut NHS backlog

Rishi Sunak’s pledge to cut the NHS waiting list backlog is being threatened by the crumbling concrete crisis as affected hospitals warn they will be forced to shut wards and theatres.

Hospitals were told they had buildings prone to collapse in 2019 but four years later they are still dealing with the issue.

In a report last year, West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust leaders said that work to replace Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (Raac) in its hospitals would hit general surgery, urology, gynaecology and orthopaedic care.

Wards have had to close, piling pressure on a crowded A&E as patients can’t be offloaded due to lack of beds, and threatening its ability to hit government targets to reduce waiting lists, it added.

Read more below:

[6 September 2023 19:25 · Katy Clifton]

ICYMI: Seven questions from parents answered by experts

As schools return for a new year this week, hundreds have been caught up in a concrete crisis.

During an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for The Independent, Schools Week editor John Dickens tackled a wide range of questions from parents worried about their child’s school.

Take a look at the Q&A below:

[6 September 2023 20:02 · Katy Clifton]

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