Don't panic! Gillian Keegan says only SOME of our schools are unsafe
The News Agents
Global
4.1 • 5.4K Ratings
🗓️ 5 September 2023
⏱️ 38 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A government poster warning us "MOST SCHOOLS ARE UNAFFECTED" by lethal crumbling concrete may not offer the reassurance the Department for Education is aiming for. Indeed it was a gift to Labour - whose comms department instantly retorted with "Most swimmers not at risk of sharks".
So what has happened to capital spending on schools since the Conservatives came to power? And what on earth is going on inside Number 10?
Later, we look at why Birmingham City Council has gone bust.... with our own resident Brummie.
Editor: Tom Hughes
Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus
Producer: Laura FitzPatrick
Planning Producer: Alex Barnett
Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell
Video Producer: Will Gibson-Smith
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Newsagents podcast is brought to you by HSBC UK, opening up a world of opportunity. |
| 0:09.4 | This is a global player original podcast. |
| 0:12.8 | Is this government failing children, minister? |
| 0:15.2 | Absolutely not. |
| 0:16.6 | That was Gillian Keegan, the education secretary on her way into Cabinet and not an F-bomb in sight. |
| 0:23.1 | Her department have been trying to reassure this morning. |
| 0:26.1 | They have put out an ad on social media saying most schools are unaffected by the concrete crisis. |
| 0:34.0 | Which is a bit like a supermarket saying most of our chicken will not give you food poisoning. |
| 0:40.6 | Or an airline saying most of our planes will land safely today. |
| 0:45.1 | Will not crash. You're kind of thinking about the ones that will rather than the majority |
| 0:51.0 | that won't. I'm not sure it's as reassuring as they want it to be. |
| 0:55.3 | In fact, Labour doesn't think it's reassuring at all, |
| 0:58.1 | and they've been having a field day, putting out their own version. |
| 1:01.0 | Yes, which says it's from the Mayor of Amity Island. |
| 1:04.0 | And if you remember that from the film Jaws, it's called Jaws Update. |
| 1:09.0 | Most beachgoers, not eaten by Big Shark. |
| 1:13.0 | Welcome to the newsagents. |
| 1:18.2 | The Newsagents. |
| 1:19.9 | It's John. It's Emily. |
| 1:21.4 | And it's Lewis. |
| 1:22.3 | And we are at Newsagents HQ. |
| 1:24.7 | And of course, the fallout or the fall in from concrete goes on and on and on |
... |
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