Sunak’s government is entangled in a terminal narrative entirely of its own making

Editorial: As thousands of parents face back-to-school chaos, the response of the PM and his sweary education secretary to the concrete crisis is entitled and offensive

Gillian Keegan waits to be interviewed on Monday, separately from her encounter with ITV News (Reuters)

It is a moment any politician rightly dreads, where the microphone is still on and an intemperate, revealing or downright foolish remark makes its way into the public domain. Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, has suffered just such a “hot mic” moment, asking her ITV News interviewer, with heavy sarcasm, whether anyone had praised the work “we” have been doing on the school buildings scandal, while others were resting on their laurels. Or rather coarser formulations to that effect.

True to The Thick of It-style narrative the hapless secretary of state was quickly slapped down by No 10 (who had little choice but to do so) and the TV cameras were invited into the department for her to perform a suitably contrite mea culpa. Unfortunately, Ms Keegan proceeded only to apologise for how she said what she said – “choice language” – rather than what she said and the sentiments and messaging she conveyed. In essence, she does indeed stand by the entitled tone of her “off the cuff” remarks. She pleads that it’s not all her fault; maybe so, given her recent arrival in post, but enough of the scandal is her responsibility and that of her government for her to take some personal and collective responsibility. Instead, Ms Keegan sounded as if she was looking for congratulations for her hard work and that of her department. That’s because that indeed is what she and the government think is their due. Her tone, the swearing, but also the substance of her remarks is what parents and others find so offensive, and which makes her look out of touch.

As for the others who apparently did “nothing”, they remain unidentified. Could these unspecified lazy, complacent individuals be found in the Treasury in recent years, refusing properly to fund urgent school repairs? According to the former permanent secretary at the department, Jonathan Slater, they include Rishi Sunak, who cut the programme for school renovations in 2021.

That is also the charge laid with rather less fuss at the end of last week by the usually loyal schools minister, Nick Gibb, who freely accused the Treasury of downgrading the education department’s “bid” for 300 school refurbishments to 50. Mr Sunak claims that when he became chancellor he launched a school buildings programme covering 500 schools over a decade – ie some 50 a year. Thus, the prime minister has corroborated the central accusation levelled at him.

It’s a mess, and all that parents and indeed the rest of the population need to understand is that right now hundreds if not thousands of blameless children are having their education and their life chances harmed by mistakes for which ministers in this government bear responsibility. To listen to Ms Keegan and Mr Sunak you’d be forgiven for thinking that this scandal and the blunders that led up to it is a case study in good governance. No one is convinced.

So the Sunak government finds itself entangled in a terminal narrative that becomes self-perpetuating, where scandal is followed by gaffe and then electoral defeat (with two or three by-elections now pending). It was the tragic clown-like fate that befell John Major, Gordon Brown, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and, in fast-forward mode, Liz Truss. Perhaps, in easier, better times with his own mandate at the start rather than the end of 13 years in office, Mr Sunak would have thrived. As things stand, a highly intelligent man such as Mr Sunak must know how it will all end: as Ms Keegan suggests, it will be thankless, frustrating and painful.