Anger as Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson claims middle-class families ‘support’ Labour’s VAT raid on school fees_Nhy
The Education Secretary was hit with a ferocious backlash today after claiming middle-class parents support Labour’s tax raid on private school fees.
Bridget Phillipson claimed to be ‘the voice of pushy middle-class parents’, who she insisted have mostly been priced out of sending their children to private schools.
‘It’s why there is such support for our policy,’ she said in an interview ahead of it taking effect on Wednesday, when VAT of 20 per cent will be imposed on fees.
She said the average private school fee had reached the ‘considerable sum’ of about £18,000 a year, adding: ‘Middle-class parents in good professional jobs with housing costs just can’t afford that level of fee and they want brilliant state schools.
‘This policy allows us to raise more money to invest in what really matters for families.’
But the comments provoked fury, with campaigners branding her ‘tin-eared’ and accusing her of stoking class war.
Dr Julie Robinson, chief executive of The Independent Schools Council, said: ‘The majority of our schools are far removed from the stereotype of independent education propagated by the Government.
‘A typical independent school is a small day school that does not have the means to cut their budget by a fifth to absorb this unprecedented tax.
Bridget Phillipson (pictured) claimed to be ‘the voice of pushy middle-class parents’, who she insisted have mostly been priced out of sending their children to private schools
Students in a class. Ms Phillipson’s comments provoked fury, with campaigners branding her ‘tin-eared’ and accusing her of stoking class war
Sir Keir Starmer with Ms Phillipson. She said the average private school fee had reached the ‘considerable sum’ of about £18,000 a year, adding: ‘Middle-class parents in good professional jobs with housing costs just can’t afford that level of fee and they want brilliant state schools
‘The families who choose these schools come from a variety of backgrounds, including middle-class incomes.’
Loveena Tandon, of the Education Not Taxation campaign group, said: ‘Ms Phillipson’s tin-eared sweeping statement flies in the face of reality.
‘From the parents we regularly speak with – across both independent and state schools – the overwhelming response is that this is a spiteful policy that does nothing to improve education.’
Nigel Huddleston, co-chairman of the Conservative Party said: ‘The idea that middle-class parents support this bitter policy is simply not true.
‘Labour’s decision to tax education will mean thousands of hard-working parents will no longer be able to afford to send their children, including those with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities), to private school.
Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, said Mrs Phillipson’s remarks were ‘more gaslighting from this socialist government that has broken its general election promises’.
She added: ‘Bridget Phillipson is yet another Left-wing ideologue in Britain’s most socialist Government since the 1970s.’
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said that £1.7billion would eventually be raised by the policy, claiming that it will give ‘every child the best start in life’.
Priti Patel (pictured), the shadow foreign secretary, said Mrs Phillipson’s remarks were ‘more gaslighting from this socialist government that has broken its general election promises’
She dismissed claims that it would put state schools under more strain and lead to larger class sizes due to an exodus of children leaving private schools because of the extra cost.
She said: ‘In the last 25 years, private school fees have gone up by 75 per cent and yet the numbers at private schools have remained static.’ There are about 600,000 pupils in private schools, according to the Department for Education (DfE).
The government says the additional VAT raised will help fund 6,500 more state school teachers.
It has acknowledged that the policy will lead to at least 35,000 children joining state schools, wiping £300million from the extra VAT revenue. But it says state schools can absorb these additional pupils, because they represent just 0.5 per cent of the current populaton of nine million.
