Keir Starmer has stated that he cannot say if he would restart the Blair Government’s school-building initiative, or how he would pay for it if he did.
The Labour leader said he couldn’t provide such specifics since the government has yet to release a complete list of schools affected by the RAAC issue.
Sir Keir spoke to BBC Breakfast from a school in North London that has lost 15 classrooms due to the discovery of RAAC on the top floor of one building.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has often chastised David Cameron’s coalition government for cancelling the ‘Building Schools for the Future’ plan in 2010, which some feel would have mainly addressed the RAAC issue.
“We will set that out as we get to the GE in terms of our final arrangements for putting before the country.
“But I would just gently point out, without trying to avoid the question, at the moment the Government hasn’t done an audit so nobody even knows the extent of the problem, which is why we’re calling on the Government today: publish the list of schools affected, because then I can answer your question in a much better way.”
According to the BBC interviewer, the Conservatives claim they had to cancel the school rebuilding initiative because Labour left the country with no money after the 2008 financial meltdown.
Sir Keir stated that a new Labour government will “ensure that our schools are both open and safe.”
Sir Keir will face off against Rishi Sunak at PMQs this afternoon, the first duel since Parliament’s Summer recess began.