Government defeats Keir Starmer's bid to charge VAT on fees

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan points out 14 per cent of Labour MPs went to private schools – which is DOUBLE the UK average – as Government defeats Keir Starmer’s bid to charge VAT on fees

Education Secretary highlights how 14% of Labour MPs were privately educated
Gillian Keegan hits out at ‘politics of envy’ over opposition’s bid to end tax breaks
Labour claim putting VAT on independent school fees could raise £1.7billion

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan today highlighted how more than one in 10 Labour MPs were privately educated as the opposition made a fresh bid to charge VAT on school fees.

In a tetchy House of Commons debate, Ms Keegan pointed to research that showed 14 per cent of Labour MPs attended private schools – which she said was double the UK average.

The Cabinet minister accused Labour MPs of attempting to ‘destabilise the sector that has provided the opportunities afforded to them’ by pushing for the removal of tax breaks for private schools.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer this afternoon led his party’s latest effort to overhaul the tax status of private schools.

The opposition have repeatedly claimed that putting VAT on independent school fees could fund a £1.7billion cash boost for the state education system.

Using Commons time allocated to his party today, Sir Keir forced a vote on whether a new parliamentary committee should be formed to consider Labour’s policy.

This was defeated by 303 votes to 197, majority 106, as Tory MPs voted en masse to reject Labour’s Opposition Day motion.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan pointed to research that showed 14 per cent of Labour MPs attended private schools – which she said was double the UK average.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer led his party’s latest effort to overhaul the tax status of private schools

The opposition have repeatedly claimed that putting VAT on independent school fees could fund a £1.7billion cash boost for the state education system

Research by the Sutton Trust has revealed that 29 per cent of all MPs elected at the 2019 general election attended independent schools

In the debate prior to the vote, Ms Keegan was scathing of Labour’s ‘ill-thought-through’ policy, which she described as ‘the politics of envy’.

‘It’s pulling the rug out from under good independent schools, in a weakly-veiled, politically-motivated, economically incoherent policy that will not help what is in our mission to ensure every child can reach their potential,’ the Education Secretary said.

Ms Keegan warned Labour’s plan could lead to the closure of some private schools – or a reduction in bursaries – that would put more pressure on the state sector.

She also highlighted the educational background of many of the party’s own MPs, as well as Sir Keir’s schooling at Reigate Grammar School.

The Labour leader’s secondary school became fee-paying while he was there, although Sir Keir was exempted from being charged.

It currently charges around £20,000-a-year for pupils.

Ms Keegan told the Commons: ‘In fact, 14 per cent of Labour MPs elected in 2019 attended private schools, double the UK average.

‘I will be interested to see which of those honourable members decide to vote to destabilise the sector that has provided the opportunities afforded to them.

‘Now as someone who did not benefit from such a prestigious educational background, I stand here not focused on the less than 7 per cent of children who are attending independent schools, but rather much more focused on the 93 per cent who attend state funded schools as I did.’

Research by the Sutton Trust has revealed that 29 per cent of all MPs elected at the 2019 general election attended independent schools.

Some 41 per cent of Conservative MPs and 14 per cent of Labour MPs attended private schools, the analysis showed.

Labour’s shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson earlier told MPs that protecting tax breaks for private schools ‘isn’t about aspiration for all of our children, it’s about ensuring exclusive opportunities remain in the hands of a privileged few’.

She urged the Commons to support Labour’s proposals, adding that asking the public to ‘subsidise a tax break for private schools is inexcusable’ at ‘this time of economic uncertainty’.

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