Photo: BBC / Twitter
Bridget Phillipson has found herself in the spotlight this week, after the school concrete scandal came to light. The north-east MP and shadow education minister has impressed on her media rounds – which also featured an interview with Laura Kuenssberg.
Over 100 educational facilities 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 likened to an Aero chocolate bar, due to a top-heavy balance of ‘air’ inside the concrete. Experts also fear 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, Bridget Phillipson has been sticking the boot into the Tories. She has traced the source of the problem back to Michael Gove, and his decision to scrap a school rebuilding programme in 2010.
The shadow education minister – branded a ‘rising star of the Labour Party‘ by one media outlet – followed up her comments on Sunday. She skewered the Tories, saying that nothing sums up their 13 years in power quite like this latest own goal…
“We need to understand the scale of this. It’s all well and good for the Chancellor to say he’ll pay whatever it takes. That’s the bare minimum. One of their first acts in 2010 was to cancel Labour’s school rebuilding plan. Now their chickens are coming home to roost.”
“I can’t think of a more defining image for 13 years of this Tory government than children sat in classrooms under metal props to prevent the ceiling falling on their heads. It is scandalous. Rishi Sunak also bears responsibility, he has backed spending cuts too.” | Bridget Phillipson
However, her diatribe against the Tories didn’t go unchallenged by Laura Kuenssberg. The BBC host argued that Labour, who govern in Wales, had only started surveying schools this year. Phillipson provided an adept response:
“Well, Wales continued with the school rebuilding programme, unlike in England. Yes, they are surveying schools for dangerous concrete too, but had the Conservatives not stopped the programme, every single school would have been rebuilt or refurbished by 2020.” | Bridget Phillipson
