David Laws says the Conservatives are putting the education system at serious risk with their plan to cut the budget by more than a quarter – or £13.3bn a year – by 2020. The Education minister warned that school funding, the pupil premium and free childcare for low income families were all at risk from the Conservatives’ plans to reduce the deficit. The £13.3bn figure was calculated by the House of Commons library on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, but the Conservatives said that it did not take into account the hypothetical £5bn that the Chancellor claims he will find from tax avoidance.