05 September 2023 , 21:31
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The cat ate my homework is about the only excuse not yet deployed by flailing Education Secretary Gillian Keegan.
She is blaming everybody except herself for the school concrete scandal. This time she is blasting headteachers who are still to return questionnaires. Her excuses collapse faster than classroom ceilings. The Tories are fighting like rats in a sack. Schools Minister Nick Gibb admitting Rishi Sunak slashed the rebuilding programme as the Chancellor drags into focus the integrity of a Prime Minister who denied swinging the axe.
This catastrophe is about much more than locked schools and other public buildings because it goes to the heart of how the Government is wrecking our country. Nothing works because the Tories are incapable of taking the right decisions. It isn’t only crumbling concrete we need to replace.
Tory cheats
Birmingham council effectively declaring bankruptcy is another disaster in a land where nothing seems to work. The Labour council is the latest to run into trouble – Tory-led Thurrock and Woking were among those sending up distress flares earlier – with dozens more on the danger list.
Questions must be asked about the administration of England’s second city. Victims include workers on the city’s books as well as locals about to lose services. But what must not also be ignored is that the Tory government has for years cheated councils such as Birmingham of huge amounts of support by cutting financial assistance. The root of this crisis will be found in Whitehall as well as Birmingham.
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Be on alert
The soaring temperatures have led the UK Health Security Agency to issue amber alerts. So please remember to stay cool when it is hot, and follow the trusty old advice that everything should be enjoyed in moderation, including heatwaves.