The Conservative Government may soon be ousted from office at the next General Election – but the roots of this latest scandal go all the way back to their return to rule in 2010. In particular, Michael Gove has come in for some heavy criticism.
More than 100 schools and colleges have been told by the Department for Education (DfE) to fully or partially shut buildings due to the existence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), just as pupils prepare to return after the summer holidays.
The material has been compared to an Aero chocolate bar, due to the top-heavy balance of ‘air’ inside the concrete. Experts have also warned that the crisis could extend beyond the education sector – with healthcare settings, courts and offices also potentially at risk.
With vital infrastructure now at risk of simply falling apart, Labour’s Bridget Phillipson has been sticking the boot into the Tories. Earlier this week, she traced the source of the problem back to Michael Gove, and his decision to scrap a school rebuilding programme in 2010.
The project, proposed by Labour during Gordon Brown’s tenure as PM, would have cost £55 billion – and it became a high-profile victim of austerity. Now, the shadow education minister has made it clear where she thinks the blame lies:
“Michael Gove has previously suggested that he might have handled [Labour’s school rebuilding programme] better. The move was the first sign of the neglect that was to come. Ministers have known about these risks for years but did nothing.”
“Labour has pressed the government month in and month out on the safety of our schools, of the students and staff who learn and work in them. Their response? Month after month of inaction, evasion, and complacency. Ministers should hang their heads in shame.” | Bridget Phillipson
In 2016, Gove himself admitting to making a mistake in cutting the programme, saying that it was handled in a ‘crass manner’. However, during that interview with Andrew Marr, he had asked for leniency from the general public.
History, perhaps, won’t be so kind…
“It was not so much that it was wrong to save public money. It was done in a crass and insensitive way and it taught me a lesson. There can be a ‘football manager’ culture in politics, which means that we are too quick to condemn someone when they make a mistake.” | Michael Gove
