Rishi Sunak facing questions over schools funding – as Tories mocked over concrete crisis ad

Published

2 years ago

September 5, 2023

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Just four schools have been rebuilt under a government programme which Rishi Sunak said would cover 50 a year.

The figures were confirmed to Sky News as the prime minister continued to face questions over funding for England’s crumbing schools, while the education secretary is being mocked over a graphic that sought to allay fears over the crisis which has led to huge disruption at the start of the new term.

Gillian Keegan, who was yesterday forced to apologise for a sweary outburst on the matter, tweeted an image saying “most schools are unaffected” by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

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Labour was quick to post a spoof saying “most beachgoers not eaten by big shark”, in reference to the stance of the mayor in the movie Jaws.

The unsafe concrete has forced the full or partial closure of over 100 schools in England this week due to fears it could collapse.

The government is coming under pressure over its handling of the issue with critics blaming historic underinvestment into school infrastructure.

Sky News has learnt that a “massive” school rebuilding programme launched in 2020 to rebuild 500 schools within a decade has taken off to a slow start.

The plan was for schools to be rebuilt and refurbished at a pace of around 50 a year, but the Department for Education confirmed that just four schools have been completed since the first round of applications was launched in 2021.

Officials insist the programme is on track, and that they are still confident of “ramping up” to an average of 50 per year.

A report by the National Audit Office, which scrutinises government spending, in June warned that there were concerns about the schools programme.

They said by March of this year the department had awarded just 24 contracts against a forecast of 83, due to “instability in the construction sector and inflationary risks”.

But a Downing Street spokesperson said while just four had been solely rebuilt, refurbishments were underway in many other schools.

And a spokesperson for the DfE said: “We have committed to rebuilding 500 schools under the Schools Rebuilding programme between 2020 and 2030 and are on track to deliver that commitment.

“Awarding contracts and establishing projects takes time but we have made rapid progress and are exceeding delivery timescales compared to the previous Priority School Building Programme, while delivering schools that will be net zero in operation. The Infrastructure and Project Authority has also highlighted the strength of the SRP’s progress.”

Sunak ‘gave less funding than requested’ for crumbling schools

It came as schools minister Nick Gibb admitted that his department had bid for 200 schools a year to be rebuilt, in a case made to the Treasury two years ago.

But Mr Sunak, who was chancellor at the time, approved just 50 – despite the senior civil servant in the department, Jonathan Slater, warning of a “critical risk to life”.

Mr Gibb sought to defend the prime minister, telling Sky News it was “simply not true” to say he oversaw budget cuts and that 50 a year was in line with previous austerity years.

He said: “We put in a bid for 200, but what Rishi agreed to was to continue the rebuilding programme with 50 a year, consistent with what we’d been doing since we came into office.

“We put in a bid for 200, but of course, the Treasury then has to compare that with all the other priorities from right across Whitehall, from the health service, defence, and so on.”

Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth, who was made shadow paymaster general in Monday’s reshuffle, said it was “the most startling fact of the day”.

He told Sky News: “You’ve got the schools minister to admit that they asked for more investment to fix schools and Rishi Sunak’s cut it back, so the buck stops with him. Schools have had to close and roofs are being held up with steel girders.”

Mr Sunak has also insisted it is “completely and utterly wrong” to accuse him of overseeing budget cuts.

He said one of the first things he did as chancellor was to announce the rebuilding programme, under which he said “about 50 schools a year… will be refurbished or rebuilt”.

However, criticism of the government’s strategy has continued after Ms Keegan was caught on camera bemoaning a lack of thanks for doing a “f***ing good job” and claiming others had “been sat on their arses”.

She apologised and went on to admit to being on holiday in Spain in the run-up to ordering more than 100 schools and colleges in England to make complete or partial closures.

Ministers have said that hundreds more schools may be impacted by RAAC – which was widely used in buildings from the 1950s to the mid-1990s.

There have been warnings about the material for many years, but the government said “new evidence” emerged over the summer about the dangers it poses – prompting them to order schools to close areas where it is present.

Politics

PM backs call for MP investigation into Prince Andrew’s housing arrangement

Published

3 hours ago

October 22, 2025

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PM backs call for MP investigation into Prince Andrew's housing arrangement

Sir Keir Starmer has backed a call for a Commons investigation into Prince Andrew’s housing arrangement.

The King’s brother is still living in the Royal Lodge, a 30-room Windsor mansion owned by the Crown Estate, despite relinquishing his Duke of York title last week.

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It has emerged he only pays a “peppercorn rent” on the property – a legal term used in leases to show that rent technically exists, so the lease is valid, but it’s nominal – often £1 a year or even nothing at all.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has called for a select committee inquiry into the Crown Estate, in which Prince Andrew would be called to give evidence.

Speaking in Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Ed said: “Given the revelations about Royal Lodge, does the prime minister agree that this House needs to properly scrutinise the Crown Estate to ensure taxpayers’ interests are protected.

“The chancellor herself has said that the current arrangements are wrong.

“So will the prime minister support a select committee inquiry, so all those involved can be called for evidence, including the current occupant?”

Responding, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “It’s important in relation to all Crown properties that there is proper scrutiny, and I certainly support that.”

A document from the Crown Estate, which oversees the Royal Family’s land and property holdings, shows Andrew signed a 75-year lease on the Royal Lodge in 2003.

It reveals he paid £1m for the lease and that since then he has paid “one peppercorn” of rent “if demanded” per year.

Andrew was also required to pay a further £7.5m for refurbishments completed in 2005, according to a report by the National Audit Office.

The agreement also contains a clause that states the Crown Estate would have to pay Andrew around £558,000 if he gave up the lease.

The royal is under pressure to do just that amid continued scrutiny over his relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

There has also been fresh focus on his sex accuser Virginia Giuffre’s allegations, which Andrew denies, after the publication of her posthumous memoirs.

Senior Tory Robert Jenrick said it was “about time Prince Andrew took himself off to live in private” as “the public are sick of him”.

Asked about his living arrangement on Tuesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves told the BBC: “I do think people should pay their way and pay their fair share.”

Politics

‘Man deported under ‘one in, one out’ scheme returns to UK in small boat

Published

3 hours ago

October 22, 2025

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'Man deported under 'one in, one out' scheme returns to UK in small boat

A migrant who was deported back to France under the government’s flagship “one in, one out” scheme has returned to the UK on a small boat.

The Iranian national was initially detained when he entered the UK on a small boat on 6 August. He was removed under the government’s deal with France on 19 September, and he returned on 18 October.

He has been detained once again, and Sky News understands that the government is set to expedite his removal back to France.

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The news comes as Sky News learns that more migrants have crossed the Channel on a small boat in 2025 so far than the entirety of 2024.

The “one in, one out” treaty with France allows the UK to return anyone who arrives in the UK on a small boat back to France, in exchange for France sending to the UK the same number of people who have never previously tried to enter illegally.

The man told The Guardian newspaper that he had been a victim of modern slavery at the hands of people smugglers in northern France.

“If I had felt that France was safe for me I would never have returned to the UK,” he claimed.

“When we were returned to France we were taken to a shelter in Paris. I didn’t dare to go out because I was afraid for my life. The smugglers are very dangerous. They always carry weapons and knives. I fell into the trap of a human trafficking network in the forests of France before I crossed to the UK from France the first time.

“They took me like a worthless object, forced me to work, abused me, and threatened me with a gun and told me I would be killed if I made the slightest protest. Every day and every night, I was filled with terror and stress. Every day I live in fear and anxiety, every loud noise, every shadow, every strange face scares me.

“When I reached UK the first time and Home Office asked what had happened to me I was crying and couldn’t speak about this because of shame.”

The UK government’s position is that France is a safe country.

‘Rwanda is further than France’

The aim of the agreement with France is to create a disincentive for migrants to make the dangerous crossing across the Channel. But Downing Street repeatedly refused to describe the scheme as a “deterrent” this afternoon, insisting that the scheme is among a number of measures the government is taking to stop small boat crossings.

A Home Office spokesperson said in a statement: “We will not accept any abuse of our borders, and we will do everything in our power to remove those without the legal right to be here.

“Individuals who are returned under the pilot and subsequently attempt to re-enter the UK illegally will be removed.”

Former Tory home secretary James Cleverly quipped on social media that “Rwanda is a lot further away than France”, arguing that had their embattled scheme got off the ground, it would have been harder for migrants to make the return journey.

The prime minister is hosting Western Balkans leaders on Wednesday as the government tries to crack down on people smuggling and illegal migration.

But despite various government efforts, Sky News understands that more migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year than in the whole of 2024, Sky News understands

While the exact number of people who have made the crossing today is not set to be published until tomorrow, Home Office sources have confirmed that more than 36,816 people – the total for 2024 – have now crossed the Channel so far in 2025.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said in a statement: “The previous government left our borders in crisis, and we are still living with the consequences. These figures are shameful – the British people deserve better.

“This government is taking action. We have detained and removed more than 35,000 who were here illegally. Our historic deal with the French means those who arrive on small boats are now being sent back.

“But it is clear we must go further and faster – removing more of those here illegally, and stopping migrants from making small boat crossings in the first place.

“And I have been clear: I will do whatever it takes to restore order to our border.”