More schools and other public buildings with structural problems could come to light, Jeremy Hunt says

Published

2 years ago

September 3, 2023

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The chancellor has admitted more schools and other public buildings with structural problems could come to light in the coming weeks.

It comes as the government investigates the extent of problems with crumbling concrete, also known as reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

RAAC is a type of concrete that has also been used in public buildings, such as hospitals and court buildings.

More than 100 schools and colleges have been told by the Department for Education (DfE) to partially or fully shut buildings – just days before the start of the new school year – over fears about the safety of facilities built with RAAC.

The government has so far identified 156 schools that contain RAAC – with 104 schools or “settings” told to close or partially close, on top of another 50 where mitigations have already been put in place.

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However, speaking to Sky News’ new politics show Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips Jeremy Hunt admitted that more schools and other public buildings with structural problems could come to light as the government carries out its “exhaustive” programme into the problem.

“Obviously we might find new information in the weeks or months ahead and we will act on it, but in terms of the information we have today we have acted immediately, we will continue to act we will continue to invest,” he said.

The announcement by the DfE that some schools may be forced to close prompted anger from parents and opposition parties, with Labour accusing the government of “staggering incompetence”.

But Mr Hunt defended the government’s response to the issue, saying it would “take action immediately” on any risks – which also include concerns of possible asbestos outbreaks in public buildings.

“As soon as problems have been identified we’ve started a huge survey of every single school in the country so we could identify where these problems are,” he said.

“And I think it’s very important to reassure parents that where there is an issue as soon as we find out about it we will act.”

He added that the government would do “what it takes to make sure that children are safe” and that as chancellor he would “prioritise spending money to sort out these problems where that needs to happen”.

Elsewhere in the programme, Mr Hunt was asked about the state of the British economy after he welcomed figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which showed that the UK’s economy was 0.6% larger than pre-pandemic levels by the fourth quarter of 2021 and had the third-fastest recovery in the G7 during that period – behind only the US and Canada.

He told Trevor Phillips:

• That despite the economy performing better than expected, he would not have taken a different approach because it was the government’s “priority” to bring down inflation – which peaked at over 11%

• His plan to reform the public sector does not involve “more cuts” and that the government will prioritise reducing debt over increasing borrowing by making public services more efficient and cutting the amount of time frontline staff spend on administrative tasks

• The government believes it is “morally wrong” to leave substantial debt to future generations – as he attacked Labour’s plans to increase borrowing by £100bn”.

Schools impacted by the RAAC crisis have been advised by the government to find space in nearby schools, community centres or even “empty local office buildings”.

Ministers have said such spaces should be utilised for the “first few weeks” while structural supports are installed to mitigate the risk of collapse of structures built with RAAC.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb has pledged to publish the list in “in due course”, while it is understood a full list will only be released by the DfE when all parents are informed and mitigations are in place.

The crisis has prompted Labour to ramp up its calls for the government to reveal the “full extent” of the impact of RAAC, including by publicly listing the schools which have had to close or partially shut.

Also speaking to Trevor Phillips, Labour’s shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson said her party wanted to force a vote to get the government to release the full list of the schools affected.

“Children are going to have to move to alternative accommodation or portable cabins with steel props holding up the ceiling,” she said.

“I don’t think there can be a more defining metaphor for the last 13 years of Conservative government than children sat in classrooms with steel props to stop the ceiling falling in on their heads.”

Politics

Coinbase crypto lobby urges Congress to back major crypto bill

Published

5 hours ago

July 8, 2025

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Coinbase crypto lobby urges Congress to back major crypto bill

US House lawmakers have been urged by 65 crypto organizations to pass the CLARITY Act, which would hand most policing of crypto to the CFTC.

Politics

Reform UK poses ‘very serious threat’ to Labour, Welsh first minister warns

Published

5 hours ago

July 8, 2025

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Reform UK poses 'very serious threat' to Labour, Welsh first minister warns

The threat from Reform in Wales is “very serious”, the country’s Labour leader said as exclusive polling revealed Nigel Farage’s party is the first choice for Welsh voters.

Speaking to Beth Rigby on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan said: “We think the threat from Reform is a very serious threat.

“I think it is important people recognise that things that we see every day in our lives in Wales may be snatched away from us, and the kind of stability that we’ve had for a long time.”

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Ms Morgan admitted “we’ve got a lot of work to do to get voters back” ahead of the May 2026 Senedd (Welsh parliament) elections – something backed up by exclusive polling that reveals Reform is beating Welsh Labour, who have been in power in the Senedd since 1999.

A More in Common poll for Sky News found 28% of people in Wales would vote for Reform if an election for the Senedd was called tomorrow.

That was followed closely by nationalist party Plaid Cymru on 26%, Labour with 23%, the Conservatives on 10%, Lib Dems with 7%, the Green Party with 4% and 2% for other parties or independent candidates.

Of those who voted for Labour at last year’s general election, less than half (48%) would vote for them again, while 15% would go to Plaid Cymru and 11% to Reform – although 13% were undecided.

A total of 883 people representative of the Welsh population were asked from 18 June to 3 July.

Last month, Mr Farage told an event in the steel town of Port Talbot, he would reopen Welsh coal mines to provide fuel for blast furnaces.

Ms Morgan said she will not be “chasing Reform down a path… because those aren’t my values”.

“What we’ll be doing is offering a very clear alternative, which is about bringing communities together,” she said.

“I think it’s really important that we’re authentic and we’re clear with people about what we stand for.

“I think we’ve got to lead with our values so we’re about bringing communities together not dividing them and I do think that’s what reform is interested in is dividing people and people do need to make choices on things like that.”

She admitted “there is a possibility” Reform could be the largest party in the Senedd “and that is really concerning”.

However, she said the way voting in Wales works means it would be “difficult for them to rule by themselves”.

Would she go into coalition with Reform?

“I wouldn’t touch Reform with a barge pole,” she said.

Politics

‘A threat to national security’: Fears drones could be used to lift inmates out of prisons

Published

6 hours ago

July 8, 2025

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Drones are sending 'overwhelming amounts' of drugs into prisons - and could help inmates escape, report warns

Sophisticated drones sending “overwhelming amounts” of drugs and weapons into prisons represent a threat to national security, according to an annual inspection report by the prisons watchdog.

HMP chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor has warned criminal gangs are targeting jails and making huge profits selling contraband to a “vulnerable and bored” prison population.

The watchdog boss reiterated his concerns about drones making regular deliveries to two Category A jails, HMP Long Lartin and HMP Manchester, which hold “the most dangerous men in the country”, including terrorists.

Mr Taylor said “the police and prison service have in effect ceded the airspace” above these two high-security prisons, which he said was compromising the “safety of staff, prisoners, and ultimately that of the public”.

“The possibility now whereby we’re seeing packages of up to 10kg brought in by serious organised crime means that in some prisons there is now a menu of drugs available,” he said. “Anything from steroids to cannabis, to things like spice and cocaine.”

“Drone technology is moving fast… there is a level of risk that’s posed by drones that I think is different from what we’ve seen in the past,” warned the chief inspector – who also said there’s a “theoretical risk” that a prisoner could escape by being carried out of a jail by a drone.

He urged the prison service to “get a grip” of the issue, stating: “We’d like to see the government, security services, coming together, using technology, using intelligence, so that this risk doesn’t materialise.”

The report makes clear that physical security – such as netting, windows and CCTV – is “inadequate” in some jails, including Manchester, with “inexperienced staff” being “manipulated”.

Mr Taylor said there are “basic” measures which could help prevent the use of drones, such as mowing the lawn, “so we don’t get packages disguised as things like astro turf”.

Responding to the report, the Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) said: “The ready access to drugs is deeply worrying and is undermining efforts to create places of rehabilitation.”

Mr Taylor’s report found that overcrowding continues to be what he described as a “major issue”, with increasing levels of violence against staff and between prisoners, combined with a lack of purposeful activity.

Some 20% of adult men responding to prisoner surveys said they felt unsafe at the time of the inspection, increasing to 30% in the high security estate.

Andrea Coomber, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “This report is a checklist for all the reasons the government must prioritise reducing prison numbers, urgently.

“Sentencing reform is essential, and sensible steps to reduce the prison population would save lives.”

The report comes after the government pledged to accept most of the recommendations proposed in the independent review of sentencing policy, with the aim of freeing up around 9,500 spaces.

Those measures won’t come into effect until spring 2026.

Prisons Minister Lord Timpson said Mr Taylor’s findings show “the scale of the crisis” the government “inherited”, with “prisons dangerously full, rife with drugs and violence”.

He said: “After just 500 prison places added in 14 years, we’re building 14,000 extra – with 2,400 already delivered – and reforming sentencing to ensure we never run out of space again.

“We’re also investing £40m to bolster security, alongside stepping up cooperation with police to combat drones and stop the contraband which fuels violence behind bars.”