The closure of schools at risk of collapse because they were built with faulty concrete has led to the first political crisis for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who The opposition on Monday blamed the situation for reducing funds to rehabilitate them when he became Minister of the Economy.

The government indicated that 104 schools were at a “critical” risk of collapse and another 52 schools had been repaired. Although he admitted, there are still hundreds of examinations that must be done and they have yet to publish an official list of affected centers, some of which will be unable to start classes this September.

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Sunak’s official spokesman today said as much “more than 95%” of 22,000 schools The UK “will not be affected”, suggesting that as many as 1,100 people could suffer structural damage.

The problem stems from its widespread use in public construction in the UK between the 1950s and 1990s. a type of low density concrete known as autoclaved aerated concrete amplified (RAAC).

This material, which is not only found in schools, but also in hospitals, administrative buildings and homes, it will degrade over decades, posing a risk to the structure.

“The Prime Minister has revealed what many parents feared – that this crisis is impacting more schools than they initially believed,” Labor education spokesperson Bridget Phillipson said today.

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“The decision he (Sunak) took directly while serving as Minister of the Economy to drastically cut the number of schools being rehabilitated was written, in black and white,” he added.

The Minister for Education, Gillian Keegan, affirmed her role in the House of Commons that of the Executive take a “deliberately cautious” position.” in this case and the safety of students is his “absolute priority”.

However, Keegan further fueled the controversy when some of his lines captured by microphone were broadcast at the end of the interview in which he appeared to criticize his government colleagues and assured that “everyone just sits around and does nothing” to overcome the crisis.

In a subsequent interview, the minister apologized for his “choice of language”, while a spokesman for Downing Street, Sunak’s official office, said only that his comments were “misguided”.

EFE

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