UK’s Sunak denies inaction over schools concrete crisis

AFP | London

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday rejected claims that he cut a school refurbishment programme, despite knowing about the risks of crumbly concrete used in their construction.

As many as 104 schools and colleges built with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) have been ordered not to reopen buildings and classrooms this week because of the risk of collapse.

The directive from the Department for Education came just as the start of the new term in England, sending teachers scrabbling to find alternative spaces to teach thousands of pupils.

But Sunak denied a claim from a former top official at the ministry that Sunak shelved a request for funding to rebuild more schools when he was finance minister.