“Labour KNEW In 1997!" | Julia Hartley-Brewer SKEWERS Labour’s Commons Leader

Ministers are under pressure to spell out their plans to make schools safe from aerated concrete as pupils start the new term. Children’s summer holidays are coming to an end and Parliament is returning from recess against a backdrop of uncertainty about how long disruption will last as any risks are mitigated. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt moved to reassure parents the Government would “spend what it takes” to address the problem, but Treasury sources later said money for repairs would come from the Department for Education’s (DfE) existing capital budget. More than 100 schools and colleges have been told by the Government to fully or partially shut buildings following the recent collapse of a beam previously considered safe. But more classrooms could be forced to shut as further assessments are made of the risks of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) in buildings, the Government has admitted. TalkTV’s Julia Hartley-Brewer clashes with Shadow Commons Leader Thangam Debbonaire over whether Labour knew about risks of RAAC concrete in schools when they were in power. Thangam: “The Government knew in 2018!” Julia: "The Labour Government knew in 1997!” #talktv #talkradio #labour #schools #education