Downing Street has insisted that “hundreds, not thousands” of schools are likely to be affected by crumbling concrete panels, as the focus shifted to Rishi Sunak’s role in the crisis when he was chancellor.
As Sunak struggled to get a grip on an issue, which has caused dismay and chaos as millions of pupils in English schools start the new academic year, the prime minister insisted ministers had acted “as swiftly as possible” once new information emerged about the risks in schools built with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).
