Rishi Sunak's plan to scrap A-Levels has been ditched by the new Labour government.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the ex-PM has not put a "single penny" towards the policy as she said "if we cannot afford it, we cannot do it".

In a major statement to the Commons, Ms Reeves updated MPs on an audit on public spending that she ordered when Labour were elected to power. She said she's discovered a £22billion black hole in the public finances and that the Tories made "unfunded commitment after unfunded commitment" without having the money to pay for it.

In Autumn last year, Mr Sunak pledged to scrap A-Levels under a major shake-up of education qualifications. The then-Prime Minister unveiled sweeping reforms to post-16 qualifications by merging A-levels and T-levels into a new "Advanced British Standard".

Under the policy, sixth formers would have to study five subjects, rather than three. They would have been divided into US-style 'majors' and 'minors', with pupils studying three 'major' subjects and two 'minors'. Every child will study maths and English in some form up to the age of 18.

But Ms Reeves told the Commons on Monday: "This was supposed to be the former Prime Minister's legacy but it turns out he didn't put aside a single penny to pay for it. So we will not go ahead with that policy because if we cannot afford it, we cannot do it." The Labour minister said the £22billion funding blackhole included £6.4billion in unfunded commitments on the asylum system and £1.6billion in the transport budget, as she said costs were "covered up" by the previous government.

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Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, welcomed her announcement. "The previous government’s proposals lacked ambition and were an expensive repackaging of the current A levels and T levels, creating blunt choices for 16-year-olds," he said.

“School leaders also raised significant concerns about the proposals to reshape 16-19 qualifications in light of the much more pressing concerns in the education system. Recruitment and retention, supporting students with SEND, the crumbling school estate – these are just some of the crises facing education which our members believe should be prioritised above qualification reform.”

When Mr Sunak announced his plan, the Department for Education admitted the new qualification wouldn't come into force until the late 2030s. The small print reveals that five-year-olds starting primary school this term will be the first cohort to sit this qualification.

In a speech to Conservative Party Conference last October, Mr Sunak said: "Our 16 to 19-year-olds spend around a third less time in the classroom than some of our competitors. We must change this, so with our Advanced British Standard, students will spend at least 195 hours more with a teacher."