Keegan forced to apologise for four-letter tirade over crumbling concrete crisis

THE Education Secretary apologised for her "choice language" yesterday after making a foul-mouthed outburst during a grilling on the concrete crisis in schools.

- Sam Lister

A riled Gillian Keegan was caught on camera as an interview wrapped up saying she had done a "f****** good job" handling the emergency while others "sat on their a**e".

An ally said of the swearing by Ms Keegan, who was raised in Merseyside, that it was a "Scouse thing" and the footage should not have been released. She has drawn flak for being at her Spanish holiday home in the run-up to the announcement last week that more than 100 school buildings at risk of collapse because of concrete flaws would have to close completely or partially.

A source insisted she was "working from home" and the three-day visit for a family birthday was her only time away all summer.

After an interview about the crisis with ITV News had finished yesterday but with cameras still rolling, Ms Keegan said: "Does anyone ever say 'You know what, you've done a f****** good job because everyone else has sat on their a**e and done nothing?'"

She later apologised for the "off-the-cuff remark" but said she was frustrated that the interviewer "was making out it was all my fault" and added she had been referring to "no one in particular" with her jibe.

Ms Keegan said: "I would like to apologise for my choice language. It was unnecessary. I apologise for the language but it is some-thing I am very keen to make progress on." A source said the conversation should have remained private because the interview was over. They added: "She's a very open sort of person. It's a bit of a Scouse thing to just say it how you see it."

In a later interview, Ms Keegan said it was "frustrating" some schools had not answered requests for buildings to be checked.