'We owe it to the children' - Swindon MP writes to Chancellor to demand more investment for schools

Swindon South MP Sir Robert Buckland is among 28 Members of Parliament who have written to the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, calling on the government to invest more in the schools budget.

The letter has been sent as MPs are expecting significant cuts to public spending in the Autumn Statement on 17 November.

In the letter they said: "We appreciate the need for sound money and fiscal responsibility however we believe these cuts should be made within a framework of priorities rather than across the board.

"We urge you to invest more into the schools budget, particularly given the impact of the pandemic on children and their education."

The letter went on to say that it would not be morally right to cut education at a time when so many children, teachers and staff are still working so hard rectify the damage caused by Covid.

Despite the understanding that hard decisions are going to be needed, the MPs are urging the Chancellor to think about the country's children. They said: "We owe it to the children of our country to put them first even in times of financial hardship as so many families already do every day."