Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said at Prime Minister’s Questions that the government would make “no apology” for acting to close more than 150 schools at risk of collapse due to faulty concrete.
At the first Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) since parliament returned from summer recess on Monday, the Sunak defended the government’s actions after the Department for Education confirmed that more than 150 schools across England were deemed to be at risk of collapse as a result of potentially faulty reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), following criticism that the government had long been warned about the issue and failed to act.
Many of these schools have been forced to close or partially close at the start of term, with 43 unable to start term as normal and 19 closed entirely. The government has faced criticism of failing to sufficiently fund building safety programmes that could have averted the crisis.
"We make no apology for acting decisively in the face of new information,” Sunak told MPs in the Commons.
