Sunak plunged into chaos as new information leaves PM engulfed in schools scandal
Education Minister Nick Gibb confirmed that the DfE asked for more funding than was granted by Sunak when he was Chancellor
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Rishi Sunak is in crisis again, just one day into the parliamentary term, as his education secretary is being pushed to the brink of resignation.
It has emerged that Rishi Sunak watered down the amount of funding allocated to repair crumbling schools during his time as Chancellor.
The Department for Education's (DfE) top civil servant from 2016 to 2020, Jonathan Slater claimed that Sunak cut down a request to replace up to 400 schools to 100.
Slater alleged that, in the next funding round, the number was slashed to just 50.
Rishi Sunak is taking a significant portion of the blame for his role when he was Chancellor.
PA
Speaking to GB News this morning, Education Minister Nick Gibb confirmed that the DfE asked for more funding than was granted by the then Chancellor.
While he denied that Sunak is "dodging" responsibility, he admitted that the department "put in bids for more" funding.
Speaking to GB News' Breakfast with Eammonn and Isabel, Gibb said: "Those facts are just simply not true. We've been building or refurbishing 50 schools a year from the beginning when we came into office, right through our period in power…
"One of the first things that Rishi did as Chancellor was set up the school rebuilding programme, 500 schools to be built, re-built or refurbished between 2020 and 2030.
"Now, of course, we always put in bids for more. That's what all spending departments do, but we've kept that 50 a year building programme right through Covid, don't forget, and he was making difficult decisions.”
He added: "We were spending £450 billion on the furlough scheme, on protecting businesses during lockdown during Covid, we were world leaders in tackling the challenges of Covid.
"And despite all that expenditure, we're still continuing with this big school rebuilding programme of 500 schools to be re-built or refurbished between 2020 and 2030."
Sunak's Education Secretary Gillian Keegan was yesterday caught making a series of "off-the-cuff" remarks when her microphone was left on following an interview with ITV.
The Education Secretary accused others of being "sat on their a***s" over the school Raac crisis.
She had been speaking to ITV news about the concrete crisis after it emerged that there could be hundreds more schools affected.
Just moments after the interview ended, Keegan was recorded criticising her colleagues.
She said: "Does anyone ever say, you know what, you've done a f***ing good job because everyone else has sat on their a**** and done nothing."
Keegan added: "Any sign of that, no?"
The MP was later forced to apologise for what she described as an "off-the-cuff remark" and "unnecessary choice of language", after No 10 warned her that the behaviour was "not acceptable".
Pressure is piling on both Keegan and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is taking a significant portion of the blame for his role when he was Chancellor.
He has been accused of drastically cutting the department for Education's funding for school repairs.
Earlier this week, the DfE's tip civil servant from 2016 to 2020 Jonathan Slater told the BBC that Sunak cut down a request to replace up to 400 schools to 100.
Slater alleged that, in the next funding round, the number was slashed to just 50.
One Tory backbencher described Keegan's outburst as "embarassing", saying Keegan is "out of her depth" on the issue.
Speaking to GB News, they added: "We need a major reshuffle rather than weak Rishi just keeping or promoting incompetent or inexperiances allies who dont challenge him".
WATCH NICK GIBB ON GB NEWS BREAKFAST BELOW
But other MPs defended the Education Secretary, with one backbencher sayhing it is "nice to see somebody being assertive and sticking to their guns."
They added: "Thought it was incredibly poor form of ITV to release it, but it’s actually made her look better I think."
Conservative MP for Mansfield, Ben Bradley told GB News: "I think she's acted on the information she's been given, probably taken the right call to put safety first, and in my experience (directly involved in it as a Council Leader).
"It's been a decent piece of work to tackle RAAC over a long period of time, so I can understand why she's frustrated.
"In her position she's damned if she does and damned if she doesn't. She's taking the flak for school closures, but you know where the blame would lie if a ceiling had fallen on a child. He added: "It's no surprise it can feel like there's no winning..."
Fellow Tory backbencher Brendan Clark-Smoth agreed, describing Keegan's comments as "refreshing".
He said: "It was incredibly poor form of ITV to release it in the first place, but people want to see authenticity with politicians and I think it’s actually quite refreshing to see somebody being assertive and sticking to their guns.
"The same goes for the faux outrage on social media about swearing, when those complaining are usually the worst culprits."
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