School prize giving

GILLIAN Keegan has questions to answer over a £1million schools IT contract given to a firm her husband is a director of, Labour said last night.

- NICK SOMMERLAD

A Mirror investigation found the deal with Centerprise was paid for from the same pot of cash partly earmarked to rebuild classrooms at risk of collapse because they contain potentially deadly concrete.

Michael Keegan is a non-executive director of the company which was given the contract in May.

Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: "Yet again this week, the Education Secretary has serious questions to answer about her conduct. This appears to be a conflict of interest and eyebrows will be raised that the Keegans appear to have gained from a shrinking pot of school rebuilding money.

"Gillian Keegan must come clean about any involvement she might have had in the award of this contract from which she and her family stood to benefit financially.

Mr Keegan has served on the Centerprise board as a non-executive director since December 2018. A year later he joined in the Cabinet Office as a Crown Representative.