Gillian Keegan apologises after being caught swearing
The Conservative Education Secretary has been left red faced, after ITV published footage minutes after she wrapped up an interview with them in which she delivery a swear-laden outburst about the RAAC crisis.
Gillian Keegan is clearly seen and heard asking why no one is thanking her for doing a “f***ing good job” amid chaos of parents learning their children can’t return to school days before the end of the summer holiday.
She also slams others, presumably her Tory predecessors in Government, for sitting “on their a***s” and failing to act.
This afternoon she re-emerged in front of the TV cameras to apologise for her language.
She told Sky News: "It was an off-the-cuff remark after the news interview had finished - or apparently after it had finished. I'd like to apologise for my choice language there, it was unnecessary".
READ MORE: Gillian Keegan admits there could be ‘hundreds more’ schools affected by RAAC
Education secretary Gillian Keegan is recorded on camera saying others ‘have been sat on their a***s’ on schools Raac crisis and shares frustration about not being thanked for doing ‘a f***ing good job’https://t.co/c02gI4dXiM pic.twitter.com/jWbYTVZl5D
— ITV News Politics (@ITVNewsPolitics) September 4, 2023
Education secretary Gillian Keegan is recorded on camera saying others ‘have been sat on their a***s’ on schools Raac crisis and shares frustration about not being thanked for doing ‘a f***ing good job’https://t.co/c02gI4dXiM pic.twitter.com/jWbYTVZl5D
— ITV News Politics (@ITVNewsPolitics) September 4, 2023
Education secretary Gillian Keegan is recorded on camera saying others ‘have been sat on their a***s’ on schools Raac crisis and shares frustration about not being thanked for doing ‘a f***ing good job’https://t.co/c02gI4dXiM pic.twitter.com/jWbYTVZl5D
— ITV News Politics (@ITVNewsPolitics) September 4, 2023
Having published the clip, ITV said: "As part of a morning round of interviews, Gillian Keegan was speaking to ITV News as it was confirmed there could potentially be hundreds more schools affected by the crisis".
"In the moments after the main body of the interview had finished, and as the camera repositioned for extra shots, Keegan - still wearing her mic - criticised others and claimed the govt has gone 'over and above' in addressing concerns relating to RAAC."
Ms Keegan said ITV's interview had been "pressing me quite hard" and it "is frustrating because we're doing everything now to take a leading position to be on the front foot, to put all the support in place that the responsible bodies and schools need".
This afternoon, Bloomberg has revealed Ms Keegan went on holiday to Spain while the crisis unfolded.
Ms Keegan jetted off from August 25 to the 31 to celebrate her father's birthday, after instructing colleagues to investigate the RAAC issue.
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Ms Keegan said she should be given plaudits for tackling the crisis head on (Image: Getty)
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Ms Keegan told the BBC this morning that hundreds more schools could be beset with crumbling concrete, with around 1,500 schools yet to return their surveys detailing the discovery of RAAC - around 10 percent of the nation’s 15,000 schools.
She said that the “vast majority” of surveys show now RAAC in schools, but admitted hundreds of those 1,500 could contain the potentially dangerous building material.
"If you go through the numbers that I’ve said, of the 90 percent that have come back only 1 percent of them have RAAC, so if you wanted to try and give an order of magnitude we’re talking much less than that”.
Ms Keegan said three incidents over the summer where RAAC had “failed” caused the last-minute move by the Government, sparking chaos for thousands of parents, but argued the Government has spent ￡15 billion on capital schools spending since 2015.
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Labour's Shadow Schools Minister Stephen Morgan said: “This is a staggering admission that Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives have done nothing to address a problem that they have known about for years".
“The Education Secretary has displayed staggering arrogance for saying she deserves a pat on the back for the chaos that is gripping our schools on their watch.
“Families, school leaders and school staff deserve an immediate apology for these appalling comments.”
A No. 10 source has said "These comments were wrong", but added that Rishi Sunak :has full confidence in the Education Secretary".
Ms Keegan's office has been contacted for comment.
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