In a lively Prime Minister's Questions session dominated by the ongoing concrete crisis in schools, Rishi Sunak staunchly defended his government's actions and refuted claims that he was to
blame. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer likened the government's handling of the situation to "cowboy builders" trying to evade responsibility, but Sunak countered by stating that his government had acted decisively and dubbed Sir Keir as "Captain Hindsight."
The heart of the matter lies in the government's publication of a list of schools in England where reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) has been used. The list includes a total of 147 educational settings and outlines the RAAC mitigation measures schools have implemented. This much-anticipated list was released after more than 100 schools were instructed to fully or partially close their buildings ahead of the new academic year due to RAAC-related concerns.
The Department for Education (DfE) clarified that the list is only current as of August 30, and the actual number of affected schools is likely higher.
During PMQs, the focus was squarely on the government's response to the crisis, the first such session since MPs returned from their summer break. Sir Keir highlighted schools earmarked for repairs in 2010 under a Labour scheme, which still appear on the government's list of RAAC-exposed sites. He cited Gareth Davies, the head of the National Audit Office (NAO), who accused the government of employing a "sticking plaster approach" to school maintenance. Sir Keir questioned Sunak's culpability, asking why "everyone else says it's his fault."
In response, Sunak defended his government's swift actions upon learning about the RAAC issue and affirmed that they were doing everything possible to address it promptly. He noted that the RAAC problem in schools had evolved over time and asserted that it had been a challenge for successive governments to tackle.
The issue of problematic RAAC had been known for several years but gained wider attention following the collapse of a primary school's flat roof in 2018. This incident prompted warnings from the Local Government Association and the Department for Education, urging organizations responsible for school buildings to verify their construction's safety.
RAAC was utilized in various building types from the 1950s to the 1990s, offering a cost-effective alternative to standard concrete but having a lifespan of approximately 30 years. Although concerns about RAAC had existed for some time, the recent revelation about schools has sparked a political debate about previous investment levels in repairs.
In light of this development, Labour has increasingly focused on scrutinizing Sunak's record by questioning funding decisions made during his tenure as chancellor in Boris Johnson's government. Sir Keir suggested that the crisis resulted from "13 years of cutting corners, botched jobs, and sticking-plaster politics."
In a pointed analogy, he likened the government's response to that of cowboy builders, blaming everyone else and insisting they had done an admirable job even as problems persisted. Sunak countered by characterizing this criticism as a typical move by "Captain Hindsight" and claimed that Sir Keir had never raised the issue before across the dispatch box, a point contested by the Labour leader, who cited numerous parliamentary questions from Labour MPs on the topic.
Sir Keir pointed out that schools now found to have RAAC were meant to be replaced under Labour's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) program, initiated during their time in government. Sunak, however, dismissed the BSF scheme as "time-consuming and expensive," comparing it to the Labour Party itself. Photo by Simon Walker / HM Treasury, Wikimedia commons.