Is Sir Keir Starmer being honest about Labour and private schools?
1 year, 3 months ago

Is Sir Keir Starmer being honest about Labour and private schools?

The Independent  

Labour has announced that fee-paying schools will retain some of their tax breaks if they win the general election. However, Labour is insisting it will still make private schools liable for VAT at the full 20 per cent rate. In a speech last summer, Sir Keir pledged: “When I say we are going to pay for kids to catch up at school, I also say it’ll be funded by removing private schools’ charitable status.” Bridget Phillipson, the impressive shadow education secretary, also left no room for doubt last January that she would be “scrapping charitable tax status for private schools to fund the most ambitious state school improvement plan in a generation”. The change in stance is presented almost as the correcting of a misunderstanding, as if they’ve realised they no longer need to strip the schools of charitable status to fulfil the wider commitment to charge 20 per cent VAT on fees and make independent schools pay business rates. During Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership the 2019 general election manifesto pledged: “We will close the tax loopholes enjoyed by elite private schools and use that money to improve the lives of all children, and we will ask the Social Justice Commission to advise on integrating private schools and creating a comprehensive education system.” That sounds suspiciously like stronger state control, if not outright nationalisation of private schools.

Fees Cent Private Keir Sir Keir Private Schools Schools Labour  keir  fees  starmer  sir  feepaying  cent  education  sector  state  schools  labour  tax  honest  private

History of this topic

The VAT ‘raid’ on private schools has finally made me proud to have voted Labour
Trending News
2 weeks ago

The VAT ‘raid’ on private schools has finally made me proud to have voted Labour

The Independent  

Six months after the government’s historic landslide election victory, its controversial plan to put VAT on private school fees has come into effect. According to his chancellor, “ending the VAT break for private schools would mean an additional £1.7 billion a year that can go towards our state schools, where 94 per cent of this country’s children are educated”. A …

Private schools ‘to raise fees by more than Starmer predicted’ as controversial VAT policy imposed
Trending News
2 weeks, 1 day ago

Private schools ‘to raise fees by more than Starmer predicted’ as controversial VAT policy imposed

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Private schools are reportedly set to raise their fees by more …

Starmer defends controversial private schools VAT policy by arguing it will benefit middles classes
Trending News
2 weeks, 2 days ago

Starmer defends controversial private schools VAT policy by arguing it will benefit middles classes

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Over the weekend, education secretary Bridget Phillipson called tax exemptions for private schools “a luxury …

Private school tax breaks ‘a luxury we cannot afford’, says education secretary
Top News
2 weeks, 3 days ago

Private school tax breaks ‘a luxury we cannot afford’, says education secretary

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery Keir Starmer has promised to ‘give children the best start in …

School chiefs turn on Rachel Reeves after 'shameful' claim that VAT raid will give all children the 'best start'
2 weeks, 4 days ago

School chiefs turn on Rachel Reeves after 'shameful' claim that VAT raid will give all children the 'best start'

Daily Mail  

The Chancellor’s claim that taxing private school fees will give all children the ‘best start’ has been branded ‘shameful’. Rachel Reeves has insisted that £1.7 billion would be raised by the 20 per cent VAT imposed on private schools from New Year’s Day, in a press release celebrating Labour’s ‘plan for change’. As the surge in fees has seen thousands …

Labour councillor brands Keir Starmer a 'liar' and says Prime Minister's 'attack on working class and grandparents is unjustifiable' after candidate was trounced in local by-election
2 weeks, 4 days ago

Labour councillor brands Keir Starmer a 'liar' and says Prime Minister's 'attack on working class and grandparents is unjustifiable' after candidate was trounced in local by-election

Daily Mail  

A Labour councillor has written a scathing attack on Sir Keir Starmer after a fellow party candidate was trounced in a by-election. Steve Edwards, who sits on Dudley Council in the West Midlands, posted on Facebook saying his party leader had peddled lies to win the General Election. Sir Keir Starmer’s attack on the working class, our children and parents/grandparents …

Labour preparing for private school closures after VAT raid on fees, suggest reports
3 weeks ago

Labour preparing for private school closures after VAT raid on fees, suggest reports

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Contingency plans are underway in Whitehall for a surge in demand …

Families launch legal action over government’s private school fees VAT raid
3 weeks, 4 days ago

Families launch legal action over government’s private school fees VAT raid

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Six families have launched a legal challenge against the government’s plan …

Labour's tax raid on private tuition fees is left in CHAOS - as school heads have been unable to register for VAT on HMRC site
2 months ago

Labour's tax raid on private tuition fees is left in CHAOS - as school heads have been unable to register for VAT on HMRC site

Daily Mail  

Labour's tax raid on private tuition fees is in disarray as school heads have been unable to register for VAT on the official UK tax website. It left schools spending hours trying to navigate the system via HMRC’s live webchat, with one adviser even admitting: ‘we don’t seem to have the systems in place’. Keir Starmer and the Labour party's …

Labour wants to abolish private schools ‘by the back door’, headteacher claims
2 months, 1 week ago

Labour wants to abolish private schools ‘by the back door’, headteacher claims

The Telegraph  

Labour’s real aim is to abolish private schools “by the back door”, the headteacher of a leading independent school has said in an outspoken attack on Sir Keir Starmer’s VAT and National Insurance increases. He warned that Labour’s policy agenda would require further tax rises to compensate for stagnating economic growth “and schools like mine will become over-elitist, not through …

What is Labour’s controversial private school VAT raid policy?
2 months, 2 weeks ago

What is Labour’s controversial private school VAT raid policy?

The Independent  

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Parents already turning down private school places as Labour’s VAT policy looms
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Parents already turning down private school places as Labour’s VAT policy looms

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Research shared withThe Independent by education consultants Anglo Schools International …

Corbyn alliance MPs unite with Tories to oppose Labour’s private school tax raid
3 months ago

Corbyn alliance MPs unite with Tories to oppose Labour’s private school tax raid

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Two of Jeremy …

School VAT tax raid to go ahead in win for Bridget Phillipson
3 months, 1 week ago

School VAT tax raid to go ahead in win for Bridget Phillipson

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In response, the Treasury initially failed to confirm that the …

Eton College to raise fees by 20% following Labour’s VAT on private schools
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Eton College to raise fees by 20% following Labour’s VAT on private schools

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Eton College will …

Private schools at risk of closure over VAT hike already face big budget shortfalls, says Phillipson
5 months ago

Private schools at risk of closure over VAT hike already face big budget shortfalls, says Phillipson

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Private schools at …

Fury as Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson says parents were given 'ample warning' about Labour's VAT raid on private school fees
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Fury as Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson says parents were given 'ample warning' about Labour's VAT raid on private school fees

Daily Mail  

Labour stepped up its class war on private schools yesterday after the Education Secretary suggested VAT could be applied to school fees as early as January. Independent school groups branded Bridget Phillipson's plans 'needlessly disruptive' and said they could lead to parents having to withdraw their pupils in the middle of the school year. Independent school groups branded Bridget Phillipson's …

Labour private school VAT tax plan could come soon – what parents need to know
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Labour private school VAT tax plan could come soon – what parents need to know

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Labour’s plan to end tax breaks for private schools could …

What to expect in the first 100 days of Keir Starmer’s Labour government
6 months, 1 week ago

What to expect in the first 100 days of Keir Starmer’s Labour government

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. From tackling NHS waiting lists to scrapping the Conservatives’ Rwanda deportation policy, here are some …

Phillipson blames private schools for ‘pricing out’ middle classes in row over VAT on fees
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Phillipson blames private schools for ‘pricing out’ middle classes in row over VAT on fees

The Independent  

Labour has hit back at criticism of its plans to impose VAT on private schools, blaming inflation-busting hikes in school fees over the years for “pricing out the middle classes”. “I just believe that we need to make sure we’re prioritising public money, and we shouldn’t be giving unjustified tax breaks to private schools, who are their own businesses and …

Labour VAT raid on private schools could harm vulnerable children, warns former Ofsted chief
7 months ago

Labour VAT raid on private schools could harm vulnerable children, warns former Ofsted chief

The Telegraph  

Labour’s planned tax raid on private schools could force “vulnerable children” to leave their current schools, a former Ofsted chief has warned. “It is a lot of uncertainty for some quite vulnerable children and it’s really important that thought goes into what needs to be provided and how it is going to be provided to make sure we don’t end …

Labour tax raid to push up house prices near top state schools
7 months ago

Labour tax raid to push up house prices near top state schools

The Telegraph  

When comparing property prices in different catchment areas, it is already clear that they have risen fastest in areas with highly rated schools. The value of properties near schools rated as “outstanding” has grown by 67pc since 2008, while those rated as “good” rose by 61pc. Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to roll out a tax raid on private schools …

The real losers from Labour’s VAT raid on private schools? The children
7 months, 1 week ago

The real losers from Labour’s VAT raid on private schools? The children

The Independent  

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Labour’s VAT raid will lead to ‘McDonaldsisation’ of education
7 months, 1 week ago

Labour’s VAT raid will lead to ‘McDonaldsisation’ of education

The Telegraph  

Labour’s plans to charge VAT on private schools could lead to the “McDonaldisation” of education if schools are forced to make drastic cost cuts, a headteacher has warned. The head of a £22,000-a-year prep school in the West Midlands said Labour’s proposal to add 20 per cent tax on private schools could force them to slim down their curricula and …

Watch: Yvette Cooper is asked four times about pupils ousted from private schools by VAT raid
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Watch: Yvette Cooper is asked four times about pupils ousted from private schools by VAT raid

The Telegraph  

Yvette Cooper refused to explain how Labour would find school places for children forced out of private education by the party’s VAT raid, despite being asked four times. “Other organisations and institutions have to pay VAT, we do think it’s fair for private schools to pay VAT and for that money to be used to recruit 6,500 teachers for our …

State schools report rise in applications amid fears over Labour’s private school VAT raid
7 months, 2 weeks ago

State schools report rise in applications amid fears over Labour’s private school VAT raid

The Telegraph  

State schools have reported a rise in mid-year applications amid growing fears parents will no longer be able to afford to educate their children privately if Labour come to power. Another said: “We have recently had parents who are desperate to send their child to our school as they were jumping ship from a private school they were stretched to …

Second private school blames Labour’s tax raid for closure
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Second private school blames Labour’s tax raid for closure

The Telegraph  

It comes after Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said that many private schools have “pleaded poverty and say people will be priced out” by the proposals. Mr Streeting said on BBC Question Time on Thursday: “I say to the headteachers, you’re going to have to cut your cloth accordingly like state schools have had to.” Downham charges £7,800 a …

Labour’s VAT raid will force private schools to close, education chief warns
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Labour’s VAT raid will force private schools to close, education chief warns

The Telegraph  

However, Labour has given scant detail as to the timing of its implementation, nor the extent of any exemptions, leaving private schools unable to plan their budgets. “Labour hasn’t fleshed out the policy, so we’re looking at tea leaves and trying to work out from different speeches that labour figures have made about what the policy is likely to be.” …

Labour’s private schools tax plans ‘blamed for fall in entries’
8 months ago

Labour’s private schools tax plans ‘blamed for fall in entries’

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Labour’s planned tax on private schools has been blamed for …

State schools unprepared for flood of pupils sparked by Labour’s VAT raid
8 months, 3 weeks ago

State schools unprepared for flood of pupils sparked by Labour’s VAT raid

The Telegraph  

State schools are not prepared for the “influx” of pupils that would stem from Labour’s VAT raid on private education, government sources have warned. The opposition’s plans are prompting warnings of an unsustainable “influx” of children into the state system, while new figures show councils across the country have at least one year group with no remaining places despite a …

Labour's planned tax raid on private schools would 'cost more than it saves' for the education system, report warns
9 months, 4 weeks ago

Labour's planned tax raid on private schools would 'cost more than it saves' for the education system, report warns

Daily Mail  

Labour would 'damage' the education system with its proposed tax raid on private schools – which would cost the taxpayer £1.6billion a year, a think-tank has warned. Sir Keir Starmer's party wants to introduce VAT on independent school fees, claiming it would generate £1.7billion to spend on state education. Sir Keir Starmer's party wants to introduce VAT on independent school …

Labour’s private school tax raid ‘could cost taxpayer £1.6bn a year’
9 months, 4 weeks ago

Labour’s private school tax raid ‘could cost taxpayer £1.6bn a year’

The Telegraph  

Labour’s private school tax raid could cost the taxpayer £1.6 billion a year if it forces a quarter of pupils into the state sector, a new report has found. Sir Keir Starmer’s party has made introducing VAT on independent school fees a flagship policy, claiming it would generate £1.7 billion to spend on state education. In its report, titled Short …

Almost half of voters do not think private schools should be exempt from VAT
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Almost half of voters do not think private schools should be exempt from VAT

The Telegraph  

Adrian James, 50, a former Labour voter from Edinburgh, said Sir Keir Starmer’s tax raid on private schools “smacks of middle-class hatred”. Mr James, an IT manager, said he moved his two children, aged 10 and 13, to private schools after one was bullied and his other child was diagnosed with dyslexia but her state school said she would have …

Labour's plan to slap VAT on school fees is a tax on aspiration. I know because my mum worked three jobs to pay for my education, writes INAYA FOLARIN IMAN
11 months ago

Labour's plan to slap VAT on school fees is a tax on aspiration. I know because my mum worked three jobs to pay for my education, writes INAYA FOLARIN IMAN

Daily Mail  

You don't have to be a Left-wing firebrand to feel a twinge of unease as you stroll past the gates of Eton College in Windsor, where annual fees total £50,000. Inaya Folarin Iman's mother, Bola, worked multiple jobs, including night shifts in the care sector, to pay for independent primary schools in Kent Inaya Folarin Iman says she experienced British …

Private school parents say Labour's planned VAT raid on fees could force them to work longer hours and take on second jobs
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Private school parents say Labour's planned VAT raid on fees could force them to work longer hours and take on second jobs

Daily Mail  

Parents say they will be forced to work longer hours and take on second jobs to afford Labour's VAT raid on private school fees. It is spearheaded by Tony Perry, 46, a NHS data analyst, who launched the campaign alongside dozens of parents at LVS Ascot, an independent day and boarding school in Berkshire, yesterday. The campaign is spearheaded by …

Private school VAT raid will hurt the less wealthy, parents tell Keir Starmer
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Private school VAT raid will hurt the less wealthy, parents tell Keir Starmer

The Telegraph  

Parents who send their children to private schools have told Sir Keir Starmer they are “not wealthy” as they launch a campaign against his VAT raid. We have seen him transform.” ‘Hear parent voices’ Mr Perry, who earns around £60,000 a year, said: “As a non-wealthy parent sending a child to private school, I am disappointed by Labour’s determination to …

Labour pledges money from private school VAT raid for seven different policies
1 year ago

Labour pledges money from private school VAT raid for seven different policies

The Telegraph  

Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of “stretching the limits of credulity” after unveiling a seventh policy to be funded by his tax raid on private schools. He said the plan, costed at £576 million a year, will be bankrolled with the £1.7 billion raised by removing private schools’ exemption from VAT and business rates. It takes the total cost …

Private schools offer 'pay now' option in attempt to dodge Labour VAT raid
1 year, 2 months ago

Private schools offer 'pay now' option in attempt to dodge Labour VAT raid

The Telegraph  

Leading private schools are offering parents a “pay now” option to save money on Labour’s planned VAT charge on fees. The Sunday Times reported that schools were telling parents that existing schemes which allow them to pay fees for several years in advance could avoid the tax rise. “We did not encourage parents to use the scheme and we did …

Education unions warn Labour's planned private school tax raid could cost teachers' jobs
1 year, 3 months ago

Education unions warn Labour's planned private school tax raid could cost teachers' jobs

Daily Mail  

Education unions have taken aim at Labour's planned tax raid on private schools, warning it could put teachers out of work. In highly unusual comments from groups that traditionally lean to the Left, union leaders said Sir Keir Starmer's proposals could cost their members' jobs, and have called on the party to reveal the details of the plans. Union leaders …

Labour VAT raid on private schools will cost jobs, unions warn
1 year, 3 months ago

Labour VAT raid on private schools will cost jobs, unions warn

The Telegraph  

Education unions have privately warned Labour that the party’s plan to impose VAT on private schools could cost teachers jobs, The Telegraph can reveal. The TPS is the Government’s defined benefit pension scheme for state school teachers, but independent schools are also allowed to be members of the scheme. Geoff Barton, ASCL’s general secretary, said the “majority” of independent schools …

Private schools group is ‘arrogant’, says Bridget Phillipson
1 year, 3 months ago

Private schools group is ‘arrogant’, says Bridget Phillipson

The Telegraph  

A private schools group campaigning against Labour’s VAT raid is “arrogant”, Bridget Phillipson has said. She took aim at the lobby group over emails obtained by Labour using public access requests earlier this year, which showed that an ISC staff member had said Ms Phillipson can be “very chippy”. Ms Phillipson told the Labour Party conference: “We know what the …

Bridget Phillipson: I never considered private school for my children
1 year, 3 months ago

Bridget Phillipson: I never considered private school for my children

The Telegraph  

For many parents earning the equivalent of an MP’s £86,584 salary, the possibility of a private education might be expected to feature – however briefly – in a discussion about where to send their children to school. “I never considered private school for my children,” says the shadow education secretary, who has been spearheading Labour’s controversial plan to levy VAT …

Letters: Voters see through Labour’s spin on its punitive plan for private schools
1 year, 3 months ago

Letters: Voters see through Labour’s spin on its punitive plan for private schools

The Telegraph  

SIR – Does Sir Keir Starmer really believe that private schools could afford to pay VAT under a Labour government without passing the cost on to parents? Bill Moulding Preston, Lancashire SIR – Labour’s plan to impose VAT on private schools would be a tax on the acquisition of knowledge, the same as taxing the sale of books or other …

Labour U-turns on plan to strip private schools of charitable status
1 year, 3 months ago

Labour U-turns on plan to strip private schools of charitable status

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Private schools would retain some of their tax breaks under a …

Starmer denies ‘attack’ on private schools as he plans to charge VAT on fees
1 year, 3 months ago

Starmer denies ‘attack’ on private schools as he plans to charge VAT on fees

The Independent  

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Labour stoking ‘class war’ with private school VAT raid, warns Sunak
1 year, 3 months ago

Labour stoking ‘class war’ with private school VAT raid, warns Sunak

The Telegraph  

And as Mr Edmonds points out, a big announcement is expected in the coming days on the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, which has pushed fees up in recent years after the Treasury increased employers’ contributions from 16.48 per cent of teachers’ salaries to 23.6 per cent. “We don’t want to cut staff salaries or reduce co-curricular activities or all the opportunities …

Labour to add VAT to private school fees immediately if it wins power
1 year, 3 months ago

Labour to add VAT to private school fees immediately if it wins power

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Labour would add VAT to private school fees immediately if …

Labour’s private schools tax raid ‘will make education more elitist’
1 year, 4 months ago

Labour’s private schools tax raid ‘will make education more elitist’

The Telegraph  

The Labour Party’s private school tax raid would force pupils out and risk institutions closing for good, headteachers have warned, despite Sir Keir Starmer claiming he wants the sector to “thrive”. In an interview with Jewish News last week, Sir Keir said he had no “ideological” opposition to fee-paying education, adding: “We have got fantastic independent schools. Michael Hartland, the …

Tory minister ridiculed for claiming private school costs same as holiday
1 year, 5 months ago

Tory minister ridiculed for claiming private school costs same as holiday

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Education secretary Gillian …

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