Labour accuses Rishi Sunak of neglecting school safety

author: FutureCar Staff    

Labour has brought back its controversial attack ads, this time using the concrete scandal to claim that Rishi Sunak does not prioritize the safety of schools. Over 100 schools have been instructed to partially or fully shut down due to concerns about dangerous concrete that could potentially collapse, causing chaos at the start of the new academic year.

The attack advert, which was posted on social media on Sunday, is a revised version of a graphic that the party had previously shared with voters. In the latest version, Labour highlights the cuts to school rebuilding during Mr. Sunak's time as chancellor and provocatively asks, "Do you think your child's school should be safe?" The answer provided is, "Rishi Sunak doesn't."

Back in April, Labour had released a similar advert that claimed the Prime Minister did not believe "adults convicted of sexually assaulting children should go to prison," citing crime statistics. This caused a controversy and drew criticism for personal attacks on Mr. Sunak, although Labour leader Keir Starmer defended it.

In the new advert, Labour states that Mr. Sunak reduced spending on school rebuilding by nearly half during his time as chancellor. It also mentions that the Tories and Lib Dems scrapped Labour's Building Schools for the Future program in 2010. The advert concludes by saying, "The Tories ignored Labour's warnings time and time again – now our children are paying the price with crumbling schools."

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt defended the government's response to the problems, stating that the Treasury would allocate whatever funds were necessary to ensure the safety of buildings. There are concerns that hospitals, courthouses, and other public buildings may also be affected. However, ministers have yet to release a list of the affected schools, despite calls from the opposition to do so.

Bridget Phillipson, Labour's Shadow Education Secretary, blames the crisis on the Conservatives' decision to axe Labour's Building Schools for the Future program and their repeated cuts to education capital budgets. She argues that using already-allocated funds to address the concrete issue takes away money from other necessary school upgrades and the removal of dangerous asbestos, creating further problems for the future. Labour demands that the Conservatives publish all information about the dangerous concrete and the list of affected schools to begin addressing the situation.

FutureCar Staff