Tory schooling secretary Gillian Keegan was skewered on the BBC over money for particular wants pupils.
The cupboard minister introduced that £850 million shall be spent creating 60,000 new faculty locations throughout the nation.
However on BBC Breakfast this morning, Keegan was compelled to confess that that cash is a part of a £2.6 billion funding package deal which has already been introduced by the federal government.
Presenter John Kay requested her: “Can we simply be actually, actually clear then. Is that this genuinely new cash that we’ve not heard about earlier than, or is that this cash that you just’ve instructed us about earlier than and also you’re saying right this moment the way it’s going to be spent?”
Keegan replied: “It’s £2.6 billion whole, however the £850 million we’re saying right this moment is the final tranche of that on a complete load of recent free colleges, as a result of we all know there’s demand and there’s strain on the system and what we’ve been making an attempt to do is construct extra locations.”
The presenter mentioned: “However going again to my query, this cash is popping out of the funds you’d already introduced, proper?”
Making an attempt to keep away from the query once more, the minister mentioned: ”£2.6bn is the overall which can get us the 60,000 locations. This £850m is the final tranche of that, and that’s to construct a complete load of free colleges, and add capability, all throughout the nation.”
Kay mentioned: “OK, so it’s not new cash, however clearly you say it’s going to make a distinction.”
It isn’t the primary time that Keegan has endured a tough spherical of broadcast interviews.
She clashed with Sky Information presenter Trevor Phillips final month over the federal government’s plans to supply extra free childcare locations.
And final 12 months, she was roasted on LBC and Radio 4 over the crumbling colleges scandal.
Keegan was additionally criticised two weeks in the past after she mentioned she would “punch” a colleges inspector in the event that they have been impolite.