School concrete – live: Labour revives attack ads to take aim at Sunak over crumbling buildings

Expert explains why Raac is more dangerous than standard concrete

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As the UK government becomes further embroiled in a crisis over the use of crumble-prone concrete in schools, Labour has revived its controversial attack adverts to take aim at Rishi Sunak.

Over 100 schools were told to partially or fully shut buildings over fears that dangerous concrete could collapse, plunging the beginning of the academic year into chaos.

The attack advert, posted on social media on Sunday, is a re-working of a controversial graphic pushed out to voters by the party from earlier in the year.

The latest version points to cuts to schools rebuilding whilst Mr Sunak was chancellor, asking: “Do you think your child’s school should be safe?” Before answering: “Rishi Sunak doesn’t.”

The news comes as shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson alleged that the crisis symbolises 13 years of Conservative failure in government.

“I can think of a no more defining image about the last 13 years of Conservative government than children being sat in classrooms under metal props to prevent the ceilings literally falling in on their heads,” she told the BBC on Sunday morning.

1693757960Labour revives attack ads claiming concrete scandal shows Rishi Sunak does not want schools to be safeLabour has revived its controversial attack ads – this time using the concrete scandal to claim Rishi Sunak does not think schools should be safe.

It comes as over 100 schools were told to partially or fully shut buildings over fears that dangerous concrete could collapse, plunging the start of the new academic year into chaos.

The attack advert, posted on social media on Sunday, is a re-working of a controversial graphic pushed out to voters by the party from earlier in the year.

Jon Stone has more:

Eleanor Noyce3 September 2023 17:19

1693757717No immediate risk to safety where Raac is found in Scotland, minister saysPublic buildings in Scotland containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) pose an “immediate risk to safety” to school pupils and hospital patients, a Scottish government minister has said.

Wellbeing economy secretary Neil Gray said investigations are under way to assess the scale of buildings in Scotland containing the collapse-risk concrete.

The Scottish Government has said the lightweight concrete is present in 35 schools in Scotland, with local authorities checking which other buildings it was used on, including hospitals and social housing.

Speaking on BBC Scotland’s The Sunday Show programme, Mr Gray said: “At the moment, there is no immediate risk to people using these buildings and that is why we continue to support our local authority partners, NHS boards and others, that have Raac in their buildings to ensure that remains the case, and if there are issues to be resolved, that mitigations are taken to ensure people’s safety.”

The issue came to the fore after the UK government confirmed 104 schools in England will close due to the presence of the material, which was linked to the collapse of a primary school roof in Kent in 2018.

The concrete was used from the 1950s until the mid-1990s, with the Institute of Structural Engineers saying it will only need to be replaced if it is considered to be of poor condition and at high-risk of collapse.

Mr Gray said: “There is no reason to believe that the safety concern has changed in the previous weeks. Obviously there are checks ongoing, including intrusive checks, because obviously some of this material is going to be deep into the structure of buildings. Some of that takes time to carry out.”

First Minister Humza Yousaf said on Saturday that Scottish ministers have no plans to close affected schools “at this stage”.

Local authorities will be expected to prioritise remedial work where the concrete is found in public buildings, including room or building closures and the use of temporary modular provision for school pupils.

Eleanor Noyce3 September 2023 17:15

1693755872Hunt: We will ‘spend what it takes’ to make schools safe from crumbling concreteJeremy Hunt has said the government will “spend what it takes” to make schools safe after classrooms were forced to close just before the new term amid concerns about crumbling concrete.

The chancellor moved to reassure parents that an “exhaustive process” has been carried out to identify any unsafe buildings, amid accusations ministers failed to act quickly enough to mitigate risks raised in 2018.

But he admitted that along with the potential danger of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), there are concerns about the possibility of a “wider” problem with asbestos in schools.

He said education secretary Gillian Keegan had “acted immediately” after new information came to light over the summer about the potential risk Raac, a lightweight material used up to the mid-1990s.

Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg show, Mr Hunt would not speculate on the potential cost of fixing the problem, but said: “We will spend what it takes to make sure children can go to school safely, yes.”

Eleanor Noyce3 September 2023 16:44

1693754137Updated: Which schools are affected by RAAC?Below is a running list of the schools in England currently on the “crumbling building”:

Matt Mathers3 September 2023 16:15

1693752915ICYMI: Jeremy Hunt insists ministers acted fast on crumbling schools crisis despite warnings years agoThe chancellor has insisted ministers acted on crumbling schools at risk of collapse as they were told of dangers, despite evidence the government was warned years ago.

Jeremy Hunt on Sunday denied that the government’s austerity programme was to blame for the state of the buildings, while Labour accused the Tories of “negligence”.

Jon Stone has the full report:

Matt Mathers3 September 2023 15:55

1693751980ICYMI: What RAAC concrete? How to tell if school buildings are at risk of collapseBut what is aerated concrete, and why is it such a risk? Alexander Butler reports:

Matt Mathers3 September 2023 15:39

1693749777Education secretary ‘in hiding’ on schools concrete scandalThe education secretary has been accused of going into “hiding” during the school concrete scandal.

Gillian Keegan appeared in a pre-recorded interview on Thursday but has not done an interview since.

Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, appeared on the Sunday morning political programmes to field questions for the government.

Speaking to Sky News deputy politics editor Sam Coates, an unnamed Tory MP described her response as “atrocious”, adding: “[She] went into hiding it seems as she either wasn’t across detail on Thursday or didn’t know schools would have to close.

“This investigation on school structures has been going on for a while, I am gobsmacked the advice so quickly and brutally performed a handbrake turn. So Keegan needs to be transparent.”

Matt Mathers3 September 2023 15:02

1693748851Education secretary to make Commons statement on schools this weekEducation secretary Gillian Keegan will make a statement on the school concrete scandal in parliament this week.

Treasury minister told Times Radio earlier that a full list of the schools affected would be published but it was still a “moving target”.

More than 100 schools have been forced to close or partially shut although the number is expected to rise as experts carry out more checks.

Gillian Keegan

(Sky News)

Matt Mathers3 September 2023 14:47

1693746937Labour publishes new attack ad blaming Sunak for concrete scandalLabour has put out a new attack ad aimed at pinning the blame for the school concrete scandal on Rishi Sunak.

“Do you think your child’s schools should be safe? Rishi Sunak doesn’t,” the online ad says.

It has been produced in the same style as a separate attack ad published earlier this year that caused outrage by claiming the prime minister did not want sex offenders sent to jail.

(Labour Party)

Matt Mathers3 September 2023 14:15

1693745195Crumbling schools indicative of 13 years of Tory ‘failure’Crumbling school buildings symbolise 13 years of Tory failure in government, Labour has claimed.

Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, also sought to pin the blame for the RAAC scandal on Rishi Sunak.

“I can think of a no more defining image about the last 13 years of Conservative government than children being sat in classrooms under metal props to prevent the ceilings literally falling in on their heads,” she told the BBC on Sunday morning.

“Rishi Sunak himself as well bears responsibility for this,” she added.

Bridget Phillipson said she believes ‘lecturing people’ without offering support would not help improve attendance (BBC/PA)

(PA Media)

Matt Mathers3 September 2023 13:46