Labour accuses Rishi Sunak of neglecting school safety

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【Summary】Labour has released an attack ad claiming that Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, does not prioritize the safety of schools. This comes as over 100 schools in the UK have been partially or fully shut down due to concerns about dangerous concrete. The ad highlights cuts to school rebuilding and suggests that Sunak does not believe schools should be safe. The government has defended its response, but opposition calls for a list of affected schools have not been met.

FutureCar Staff Sep 03, 2023 4:48 PM PT

Labour accuses Rishi Sunak of neglecting school safety

Labour has launched a new attack ad, using the concrete scandal as ammunition against Rishi Sunak. Over 100 schools have been forced to partially or fully shut down due to concerns about dangerous concrete. The attack ad, posted on social media, refers to cuts in school rebuilding during Sunak's tenure as chancellor, suggesting that he does not prioritize school safety.

This latest version of the ad is a re-working of a controversial graphic that was previously released by the party. In April, Labour had launched a similar ad accusing the Prime Minister of not thinking that "adults convicted of sexually assaulting children should go to prison". Despite facing criticism for personal attacks, Labour leader Keir Starmer stood by the ad.

The new ad highlights that during Sunak's time as chancellor, spending on school rebuilding was cut by almost half. It also mentions that the Tories and Lib Dems had scrapped Labour's Building Schools for the Future program in 2010. Labour concludes by stating that the Tories ignored their warnings, resulting in crumbling schools and negative consequences for children.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt defended the government's response to the crisis, claiming that they had acted swiftly and would allocate whatever funds were necessary to ensure building safety. However, ministers have yet to release a list of affected schools despite calls from the opposition to do so.

Bridget Phillipson, Labour's Shadow Education Secretary, criticized the Conservatives for axing the Building Schools for the Future program and repeatedly cutting education capital budgets. She argued that using already-allocated funds to address the concrete issue takes away resources needed for other necessary school upgrades and the removal of dangerous asbestos. Phillipson called on the Conservatives to publish all information regarding the dangerous concrete and the list of affected schools in order to start resolving the situation.