Gillian Keegan: Education secretary defends going on holiday despite concrete panel failings emerging last month

Published

2 years ago

September 4, 2023

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Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has defended being on holiday during the summer while further evidence of the use of unsafe concrete in buildings came to light.

Ms Keegan was on holiday in Spain from 25 August to 31 August when she admitted that three new cases of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) emerged – one in a commercial building, one in an education “setting” and one in a school in England.

She has been at the forefront of the RAAC crisis that is unfolding in schools in England, where more than 104 schools have been ordered to close or partially close because of the concrete – which is prone to collapse after a period of time.

The issue has caused disruption for thousands of pupils just as they go back to school following the summer holidays.

Earlier today Ms Keegan apologised for her “choice language” after she was caught complaining about not being thanked for doing a “f****** good job” over the crisis.

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The interview with ITV News was played back to Ms Keegan when she appeared as a guest on Sky News’ new Politics Hub show with Sophy Ridge.

Challenged by Ridge about whether it was a “mistake” to go on holiday, Ms Keegan replied: “To be honest, for the whole of the summer, obviously I had to sort out industrial action, then I had to do A-levels and I had to do the GCSEs – so the first time I could go on holiday…”

Ridge interjected: “So we should feel sorry for you?”

Ms Keegan replied: “Not at all. I don’t expect anybody to feel sorry for me. I’m certainly not getting that vibe from you.”

The education secretary said her trip to Spain was a “family occasion”, but that she “worked remotely” while away, adding that the surveys and investigations were still ongoing and she was planning to return “straight away” for when they came back, which she did.

In the interview with ITV News in Westminster – which caught her on camera swearing – the cabinet minister criticised others for being “sat on their arses” and claimed the government had gone “over and above” in addressing concerns relating RAAC.

While her mic was still on, she said: “Does anyone ever say ‘You know you’ve done a f****** good job because everyone else has sat on their arses and done nothing’.

“No signs of that, no?”

Ms Keegan later apologised and admitted she was “frustrated with the interviewer” who was “making out it was all my fault”.

Her outburst came after she had come under pressure over the unfolding crisis, with critics accusing the Tories of a “shambolic” handling of the situation after claiming that risks associated with the dangerous material have been known about for years.

RAAC is essentially a lighter-weight form of concrete, used to build roofs, schools, colleges and other buildings from the 1950s until the mid-1990s.

The government said “new information” about RAAC came to light over the summer, prompting them to issue the safety warning just days before the start of the school term.

But experts have long warned the material has now reached the end of its shelf life and is liable to collapse.

As a result of RAAC being identified, pupils face being taught in temporary classrooms, on different sites, or even forced into pandemic-style remote lessons.

In a statement in the House of Commons on Monday afternoon, Ms Keegan promised to publish the full list of affected schools “this week” as she sought to stress that disruption would be minimal.

Asked whether she would like to apologise for how the crisis has been handled, Ms Keegan said she was “really sorry” that pupils were missing school”, but added: “Prioritising safety is the most important point – and I wouldn’t apologise for that.”

Labour’s shadow health secretary Wes Streeting, speaking before Ms Keegan’s interview with Ridge, said he believed she had “misunderstood why people are angry”.

“To start the term with this chaotic backdrop – and then to see the education secretary saying why [aren’t] people thank me I think is an insult,” he said.

Former education secretary Baroness Nicky Morgan also told the Politics Hub that the fiasco was every secretary of state’s “worst nightmare”.

But she said her successor had done the “only thing” she could possibly could have done in the situation, adding that England has an “ageing school estate”.

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There are questions about who bears responsibility for the RAAC fiasco that is now affecting schools.

Challenged by Ridge on the fact that Labour did not address this problem when it was in government before 2010, Mr Streeting pointed to the budget to rebuild schools being cut and the Conservatives having had 13 years in government to fix this issue.

However, he refused to say how much Labour would spend fixing the issue, saying: “We don’t know how much this is going to cost yet.”

“I can’t point to the figure … because we don’t know [how bad the problem is].”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said it is “completely and utterly wrong” to suggest he is to blame for failing to fully fund a programme to rebuild England’s crumbling schools as he dismissed claims about his record as chancellor.

“Of course I know the timing is frustrating, but I want to give people a sense of the scale of what we are grappling with here: there are around 22,000 schools in England and the important thing to know is that we expect that 95% of those schools won’t be impacted by this,” he said.

Politics

£100m border security boost – as govt vows ‘major crackdown’ on people smuggling gangs

Published

5 hours ago

August 4, 2025

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£100m border security boost - as govt vows 'major crackdown' on people smuggling gangs

The government has vowed to push for a “major new crackdown” on people smuggling gangs with a £100m cash boost for border security.

The investment will support the pilot of the new “one in, one out” returns agreement between the UK and France, and other efforts to crack down on small boat crossings.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said this new funding will “strengthen” the government’s “serious and comprehensive plan” to dismantle the business model of criminal gangs smuggling migrants across the Channel.

But the Conservatives have claimed the cash injection will make “no real difference”, with shadow home secretary Chris Philp branding the move a Labour “gimmick” and a “desperate grab for headlines”.

The funding will pay for up to 300 new National Crime Agency (NCA) officials, “state-of-the art” detection technology and new equipment to “smash the networks putting lives at risk in the Channel”, ministers say.

It will also allow the Border Security Command, the NCA, the police and other law enforcement agency partners to “strengthen investigations targeting smuggling kingpins and disrupt their operations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and beyond”.

The new investment comes as official figures show more than 25,000 people have arrived on small boats so far in 2025 – a record for this point in the year.

Ms Cooper said: “In the last 12 months, we have set the foundations for this new and much stronger law enforcement approach – establishing the new Border Security Command, strengthening the National Crime Agency and UK police operations, increasing Immigration Enforcement, introducing new counter terror style powers in our Border Security Bill, and establishing cooperation agreements with Europol and other countries.

“Now this additional funding will strengthen every aspect of our plan, and will turbo-charge the ability of our law enforcement agencies to track the gangs and bring them down, working with our partners overseas, and using state-of-the-art technology and equipment.

“Alongside our new agreements with France, this will help us drive forward our Plan for Change commitments to protect the UK’s border security and restore order to our immigration system.”

The £100m investment will also support new powers to be introduced when the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill becomes law, the Home Office said.

This includes the introduction of a UK-wide offence to criminalise the creation and publication of online material that promotes a breach of immigration law, such as the advertisement of small boat crossings on social media.

Research suggests about 80% of migrants arriving to the UK by small boat used internet platforms during their journey – including to contact agents linked to smuggling gangs.

While it is already illegal to assist illegal immigration, ministers hope the creation of a new offence will give police more powers and disrupt business models.

Mr Philp accused the Labour government of having “no serious plan, just excuses, while ruthless criminal gangs flood our borders with illegal immigrants”.

He said: “The British public deserves real action, not empty slogans and tinkering at the edges.”

Politics

More children from Gaza to be brought to UK for urgent medical treatment

Published

14 hours ago

August 3, 2025

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More children from Gaza to be brought to UK for urgent medical treatment

Efforts to bring Gazan children to the UK for urgent medical treatment are set to be accelerated under new government plans.

Under the scheme, reportedly set to be announced within weeks, more injured and sick children will be treated by specialists in the NHS “where that is the best option for their care”.

It has been suggested that up to 300 children could arrive in the UK from Gaza.

A parent or guardian will accompany each child, as well as siblings if necessary, and the Home Office will carry out biometric and security checks before travel, the Sunday Times has reported.

It is understood this will happen “in parallel” with an initiative by Project Pure Hope, a group set up to bring sick and injured Gazan children to the UK privately for treatment.

A government spokesperson said: “We are taking forward plans to evacuate more children from Gaza who require urgent medical care, including bringing them to the UK for specialist treatment where that is the best option for their care.”

More than 50,000 children are estimated to have been killed or injured in Gaza since October 2023, according to Unicef.

So far, three children have arrived in the UK for medical treatment with the help of the charity Project Pure Hope.

Around 5,000 have been evacuated in total, with the majority going to Egypt and Gulf countries.

Sir Keir Starmer said last week that the UK was “urgently accelerating” efforts to bring children over for treatment.

The government has also pledged another £1m to help the World Health Organisation in Egypt provide medical support to evacuated Gazans.

The prime minister told the Mirror: “I know the British people are sickened by what is happening.

“The images of starvation and desperation in Gaza are utterly horrifying. We are urgently accelerating efforts to evacuate children from Gaza who need critical medical assistance – bringing more Palestinian children to the UK for specialist medical treatment.”

Around 100 MPs have signed a letter urging the government to fast track the scheme.

Labour MP Stella Creasy, who co-ordinated the letter, said: “The commitment we all share to help these children remains absolute and urgent – with every day, more are harmed or die, making the need to overcome any barriers to increasing the support we give them imperative.

“We stand ready to support whatever it takes to make this happen and ask for your urgent response.”

Meanwhile, Project Pure Hope has been campaigning for months to create a scheme which would allow for the evacuation of 30 to 50 children.

The charity has raised the money to bring the children and their families to the UK, and cover their medical costs, privately.

Politics

The token is dead, long live the token

Published

14 hours ago

August 3, 2025

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The token is dead, long live the token

Crypto tokens have failed retail investors through insider concentration and poor design. Regulation and tokenized real-world assets offer hope for revival.