RAAC scandal widens with dangerous concrete discovered at Westminster | UK News

RAAC is the headache that just won’t go away for the Tories, with the controversial building material now discovered at the very heart of government.

The Palace of Westminster has confirmed reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was found during a routine inspection in one area of the buildings. 

Assessed as a collapse-risk, it’s the same material that prompted the full or partial closure of more than 100 schools, just a day before the new academic year began, after a beam at a school containing Raac concrete collapsed. 

Some children have since been forced to take lessons at home amid fears they and teachers could otherwise be in danger.

Regarding the recent discovery at Westminster, a parliamentary spokesperson said: ‘As part of routine ongoing investigations Raac was identified in one area of the Palace.

‘Structural engineers have confirmed there is no immediate risk. Where Raac is found, mitigations will be put in place as necessary.’

It adds to a litany of other long-overdue repairs, including restoration of masonry, the removal of asbestos and vermin, and replacing decades-old electrical wiring.

A 2022 review estimated full-scale restoration might cost £22 billion, possibly requiring almost 80 years to complete.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in particular has come under fire for the mounting so-called ‘crumbling concrete crisis’, itself portrayed by critics as a keen symbol of a wider decline in public services under successive Conservative administrations.

As Chancellor of the Exchequer under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government, Sunak had blocked a request for increased funding to schools – specifically for the purpose of restoring and repairing old buildings. 

This despite officials presenting evidence of a ‘critical risk to life’ from crumbling concrete panels.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan also found herself a target of criticism recently, after a hot-mic moment picked up on her sharing her frustration about not being thanked for doing what she described as ‘a f***ing good job’ on the Raac crisis.

Her department has identified Raac might be present in 572 schools in England alone.

At this stage, however, more than 8,000 educational facilities still have not been checked. 

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