Multi-million pound plans to rebuild schools in Telford will be thrown on the scrapheap if the Tories wrestle power at the general election, a Labour minister warned during a visit to the town.

Schools secretary Ed Balls claimed the axe would fall on 14 school rebuilding programmes in the borough, including the £25 million Abraham Darby Academy and the £20 million Dawley Sports and Learning Community.

Mr Balls, who was in Telford yesterday paying a visit to the Madeley Academy, guaranteed Labour would remain committed to the Building Schools for the Future programme.

He was responding to reports that Tory shadow schools minister Nick Gibb had said the Tories could not guarantee to continue projects that had not reached “financial closure”.

The schools which Labour says could be hit include Mount Gilbert Special School, Southall Special School, Thomas Telford, Adams Grammar School, Burton Borough School, Newport Girls High School, Blessed Robert Johnson RC College, Charlton School, Ercall Wood Technology College, Sutherland School, Wrockwardine Wood School, Phoenix School and Lord Silkin.

Mr Balls said: “It would be a huge blow to parents, teachers, pupils and local communities who have been waiting for their new school.”

He said: “You would have 14 governing bodies, parents and people who are waiting to get this style of investment and taking that away is a real problem.

“It’s particularly shocking that even building projects which are already a long way down the track could be cancelled by the Conservatives in just a matter of weeks. We will guarantee rising funding for sure start children centres so that every school leaver at 16 here in Telford will be guaranteed either a school place, college place or an apprenticeship.

“Shropshire is one of the authorities which has not yet come in but we will guarantee all that planning and all of those new buildings will happen.”

The Telford schools form part a list compiled by Labour of 750 schools in 90 local authorities that it claims may be hit.