Rishi Sunak felt the heat at PMQs today after the Tories were accused of behaving like “cowboy builders” over the school concrete crisis.
Sir Keir Starmer made the jibe during the first grilling of the prime minister following the summer recess.
It follows a difficult week for Sunak who faces criticism for the closure of more than 100 schools following the detection of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
The exact number of schools impacted by the dangerous material is still unknown as some education facilities have still not informed the government if they suspect their buildings contain RAAC.
Speaking in a packed House of Commons, the leader of the opposition slammed Sunak for his handling of the dangers which the Guardian reports Downing Street knew about since 2022.
He said: “The truth is this crisis is the inevitable result of 13 years of cutting corners, botched jobs, sticking plaster politics,” the Labour leader said.
“It’s the sort of thing you expect from cowboy builders. Saying everyone else is wrong and everyone else is to blame.
“Pretending they have done an ’effing good job even if the ceiling falls in.”
Starmer added: “The difference is, in this case The cowboys are running the country.
“Isn’t he ashamed that after 13 years of Tory government, children are cowering under steel supports stopping their classroom roof falling in?”
Mr Sunak replied: “This is exactly the kind of political opportunism that we’ve come to expect from Captain Hindsight over here. Before today he’s never once raised this issue with me across this despatch box.
“It wasn’t even worthy of a single mention in his so-called landmark speech on education this summer. And if we’d listened to him, our kids would have been off school and locked down for longer.”
The prime minister earlier defended his decisions on school maintenance when he was chancellor, adding: “The professional advice from the technical experts on RAAC has evolved over time and indeed it is something that successive governments have dealt with, dating back to 1994.
It follows allegations from a former senior civil servant that Sunak refused to fully fund a programme to rebuild England’s crumbling schools when he was chancellor.
Jonathan Slater, who served as permanent secretary at the department from May 2016 to August 2020, said he was “absolutely amazed” the decision was made by the Treasury to slash the government budget for school repairs by half in 2021.
Slater said that up to 400 schools a year required replacement but that funding was given for just 100.
Related: Bridget Phillipson savages government over school concrete crisis
