Coaker: Gove ‘will need to explain himself’

Vernon Coaker, shadow schools minister, comments on councils’ legal bids to overturn the government’s cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme:

“If the education secretary’s decision is overturned it would be a huge embarrassment for him since he insisted on rushing this decision despite advice that a legal challenge was a real risk.

“Parents, pupils and teachers are shocked that Michael Gove took the decision to scrap school building projects in over 700 communities.

“The impression created is that this was done in a reckless and irresponsible way and if the court agrees then Mr Gove will need to explain himself.”