A type of concrete, thats known to be at risk of crumbling. Meanwhile, in the last couple of hours another twist with the Education Secretary caught on camera voicing herfrustrations about the media coverage. This is Gillian Keegan after an interview with itv news. Does anyone ever say, you have done a good job cos everyone else has sat on thei and done nothing . No signs of that, no . The footage was captured by itv news as the Camera Repositioned for extra shots at the end of an interview with the minister, while she was still wearing her microphone. Gillian keegan has apologised for those remarks. Gillian keegan, you said everyone else had sat on their backsides which suggests you think people had been pulling their weight, who are you talking about . It was nobody in particular, it was an off the cuff remark after the News Interview had finished or apparently after it had finished. I would like to apologise for my choice language there. That was unnecessary. But it was an off the cuff remark, basically based on the interview. The interview had been pressing me quite hard, why i hadnt solved this issue which had been going on since 1994. It is frustrating because we are doing everything now to take a leading position, to be on the front foot, to put all of the support in place that responsible bodies and schools need. It is also frustrating we got some questionnaires that are still not there. We have been chasing and chasing them. So we have just written today again to say you need to get your questionnaires in by the end of the week. I understand because obviously the evidence has changed but you need to be able to move quickly when you get new evidence. So that is something that, yes, i apologise for the language but it is something that im very keen to make progress on. Keir starmer has had this to say. The situation is descending into farce. The government has dropped the ball and the Prime Minister bears responsibility for some of the key decisions and instead of coming out and saying this is what we are going to do to fix the problem, which we have made a lot worse, you have got members of the cabinet coming out trying to blame other people, trying to blame people within their own teams, and to say essentially, but but responsibility anywhere but on the government. That is not what the uk deserves and we can see to what extent there is the passing the buck within the cabinet. Is rishi sunak Strong Enough to do anything about it . I doubt it. This was the Prime Ministers response to accusations of refusing to adequately fund School Repairs. Are you to blame for. Whats happening now . And do you want to apologise to parents and pupils . I think that is completely and utterly wrong. Actually, one of the first things i did as chancellor in my first Spending Review in 2020 was to announce a new Ten Year School rebuilding programme for 500 schools. Now, that equates to about 50 schools a year that will be refurbished or rebuilt. And if you look at what weve been doing over the previous decade, thats completely in line with what weve always done. About 50 or so schools a year refurbished or rebuilt. Thats what i announced as chancellor in my first Spending Review. On top of that, i also invested £5 billion to help our kids catch up with lost learning from covid, the education recovery programme. I think youll remember at the time that was rightly a priority of the country to help our kids whove been disrupted by covid, with extra tutoring, for example, to help them catch up. And that cost £5 billion, which i invested in as chancellor. Earlier, a former top Civil Servant at the Department For Education accused mr sunak and the uk treasury of refusing to fund School Repairs adequately, despite being warned that lives were at risk from crumbling concrete. Jonathan slater spoke on the bbc radios today programme. The Spending Review was completed a year after i left the department, and i was absolutely amazed to see that the decision made by the government was to halve the School Rebuilding programme, down from 100 a year to 50 a year. To be clear, then, in the department, you were saying we need to rebuild three to 400. It became 100 a year. And after you left the department, it went down to 50 a year . Yes. To be clear, we know whats needed 300 400. Theres only so much capacity in the construction industry. There is disruption if you close schools and rebuild them. So the actual ask in the Spending Review in 2021 was to double the 100 to 200. Thats what we thought was going to be practical in the first instance, and i thought wed get it, but the actual decision that the chancellor took in 21 was to halve the size of the programme. Now, the chancellor, of course, was at the time . Rishi sunak. I spoke with our correspondent ellie price whos outside a school in eltham, south east london. The gates have been closed all day and they were never meant to be open today because it is a teacher training day but this is one of the 104 schools that have been affected so far by the raac concrete issue, and there is raac in the Main School Hall here. The head teacher wrote to parents saying a survey had been done in the last summer term identifying this raac and they were told it was not an issue and itjust needed to be looked at by engineers fairly often, and then the guidance changed which meant the school hall could no longer be used. We understand the letter said that there is also the school gym and canteen and also the girls and boys toilets so the children returning here on wednesday will find they will need to go to the toilet in a blue portacabin and there will probably be a marquee on the grass outside which will act as a canteen. This gives a sense. We are hearing of the bigger issues, but we see now what it means for children and parents. Id it is also worth mentioning that most of the children in any of the schools affected will know about it. This is where we are with it now, the schools that have an issue have written to parents and in many cases that has led to partial closures rather than full, but it means certain buildings are out of action. Joining me now is author and broadcaster and the host of the podcast rock n roll politics, steve richards. Thanks forjoining us. Lets begin with the off the cuff remarks from Gillian Keegan, that is how she described her choice of words, before apologising. Your assessment . The government has a few problems and one is the Communications Issue and one is the Communications Issue and it isjust a basic and one is the Communications Issue and it is just a basic politics that you do not say things like that when you do not say things like that when you have still a microphone on and you have still a microphone on and you can see she is taking it off while Purging Herfrustration and anger with Everybody Else, and you just do not do that. Politicians who have done that in the past have always deeply regretted it. She had no choice but to apologise. Rishi sunak was also unconvincing in his answers where he was busy blaming Everybody Else and i do not think it was very effective as a communication in dealing with this. But they are much deeper issues about decisions taken over Capital Spending in the last 13 years and the consequences of those decisions being played out now. So in a way it is a nightmare for the government because this is the start of a new Political Year and you hope to change the mood music but you are actually hit with a very tangible sense of things not working. In terms of the comments of the Education Secretary, we remembered the gaffe from gordon brown meeting a pensioner, do these things do permanent damage or can theyjust be fleetingly embarrassing . I think permanent damage or can they ust be fleetingly embarrassinglfi fleetingly embarrassing . I think it is more than fleetingly embarrassing . I think it is more than a fleetingly embarrassing . I think it is more than a fleeting fleetingly embarrassing . I think it is more than a fleeting and fleetingly embarrassing . I think it| is more than a fleeting and gordon brown was tortured when he was caught slagging off a voter in his car with a microphone still on. He apologised right away and went to see the voter but it does not remove the original remarks which have been captured. The problem for Gillian Keegan is that it reinforced her tone throughout, nothing to do with me, im doing very well in addressing it, she was basically saying. It is another crisis where the question is of who is in charge, the question is of who is in charge, the local authorities or the ministers, but in the end the minister is responsible and accountable so they have got to sort this out and it is all very well rishi sunak saying he commissioned more School Building but the point made by the senior official is that it was nowhere near enough and it was a cut of the original plan and this resistance to investing in Capital Spending is an ideological issue. He would say as chancellor he was bothered about addressing the deficit after the pandemic, but this is the problem that now arises and it is a problem for rishi sunak. Gillian keegan has made the matter worse by doing this off the cuff remark which torments those who get caught. She will be in agony over it. Is caught. She will be in agony over it. ,. ,. ,. , it. Is there a wider problem that it becomes a it. Is there a wider problem that it becomes a metaphor it. Is there a wider problem that it becomes a metaphor or it. Is there a wider problem that it becomes a metaphor or a it. Is there a wider problem that it becomes a metaphor or a broader| becomes a metaphor or a broader malaise but also they still dont know the scale of what they are talking about even within schools let alone the wider sector and hospitals and anything else. There are reports hospitals and anything else. There are reports and hospitals and anything else. There are reports and other hospitals and anything else. Ii ii are reports and other buildings will have to be closed as well so the scale is not fully known and the unknown is terrifying for ministers but they have had plenty of warnings in relation to schools and other buildings that this might become an issue but there was a reluctance to plan and spend and invest at the appropriate moments and out they are running to catch up and this sense that nothing is working is vividly highlighted by this issue and governments have got to pray that they can somehow change the tone and mood music when they are way behind, and these tend to show the change of mood music for long Term Government is almost impossible. Mood music for longTerm Government is almost impossible. Is almost impossible. Steve richards. Is almost impossible. Steve richards, thanks is almost impossible. Steve richards, thanks for is almost impossible. Steve richards, Thanks Forjoining| is almost impossible. Steve richards, Thanks Forjoining us. We are expecting in the next hour the Education Secretary to stand up in the House Of Commons and answer questions on this, the first day back for mp5, we will have that here on bbc news. The Chief Constable of Northern Ireland police simon byrne has resigned with immediate effect. His resignation follows a series of controversies including a major data leak where the names and details of the 10,000 Police Officers and civilian staff were published in error. He has also faced pressure after a Court Last Week ruled that two Junior Officers were unlawfully disciplined following an arrest at a commemoration. The Policing Board Chair confirmed the resignation of simon byrne during a Press Conference earlier. The Chief Constable conference earlier. The Chief Constable simon conference earlier. The Chief Constable simon byrne conference earlier. The Chief Constable simon byrne has l conference earlier. The Chief Constable simon byrne has tendered his resignation to the Northern Ireland policing board with immediate effect. I have informed the board of the resignation at a special meeting this afternoon and i would like to record my thanks and appreciation to simon for his work over the course of the last four years as Chief Constable. He is a dedicated Police Officer with a deep respect for the profession of policing. He was very aware of and greatly appreciated the often difficultjob that Police Officers and staff across the organisation who on behalf of the community. This may not always have been apparent to onlookers but it was very much his Modus Operandi as was his desire to improve policing for the community through modernisation and investment in local policing arrangements. His tenure was subjected to intense scrutiny and i am sure that the last few weeks in particular have been incredibly difficult for him personally and professionally. The board will now consider the Leadership Arrangements going forward. The Chief Constable has asked me to release the following statement on his behalf the last few days have been difficult for all concerned and regardless of the rights and wrongs it is now time for someone new to lead these proud and resolute organisation and can i thank those who have shown me trust and advice and friendship and of course thank you to the brave men and women of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. We can now get more from our Island Correspondence. We can now get more from our Island Correspondence correspondence. Policing in this art of correspondence. Policing in this part of the correspondence. Policing in this part of the uk correspondence. Policing in this part of the uk comes correspondence. Policing in this part of the uk comes with correspondence. Policing in this. Part of the uk comes with unique challenges at part of the uk comes with unique challenges a challenges at ireland correspondence. Challenges at ireland correspondence. And i challenges at ireland l correspondence. And also challenges at ireland correspondence. And also political ressures correspondence. And also political pressures and correspondence. And also political pressures and a correspondence. And also political pressures and a need correspondence. And also political pressures and a need for correspondence. And also political pressures and a need for any correspondence. And also political pressures and a need for any Chief Constable to be absolutely impartial in any of his and her dealings and while simon byrne had done his best to ride out the particular storms he has been facing over the last few weeks, he has now decided to resign and in a Statement Read out here at the headquarters of the Northern Ireland policing board, he said that he had decided that whatever the rights and wrongs of the situation, it was time for the Police Service of Northern Ireland to have new leadership and the pressure really began to pile up on him a few weeks ago whenever there was when there was a data breach with the personal details of all 10,000 staff in the Police Service both Police Officers and civilians, were mistakenly published online after a request made under the freedom of information act. The police later said they believed those details were in the hands of dissident republican paramilitaries opposed to the peace process, thereby heightening the risk to Police Officers which is already over and above what their counterparts in england, scotland and wales face. And then another crisis last week, a courtjudgment which it said that simon byrne had unlawfully disciplined two Police Officers, the background to this is that those Police Officers, young constables, had arrested a man at a commemoration in belfast to mark the anniversary of the Fatal Shooting of five people by loyalists and at the event which took place amid restrictions, a man who which injured was arrested and later released without charge and the j