Kier starmer! He hates strivers!

[Bucketheadbucketbum]

He wants to introduce a policy to put up the cost of school fees 10 to 15%. This is a tax on hard-working parents! We slave away cutting cots everywhere living hand to mouth to try and improve our childrens future . Live in an average house average area 1 shit car no holidays work like a dog to get our kids through. We are easing the burden on the state system by choosing independent schools. We're not sending them to Eton paid by our trust fund! Why does he want to punish strivers! Tax the energy companies! So disappointed. We need a new political party. What's the point in trying to better your future.

This is not a left wing policy, it is a centrist policy. The left wing policy is abolition.

Retaining the current VAT status is a niche position. It has only 10% support amongst the public. This is unsurprising given only 7% of pupils go to private school. The UK is viewed by voters as an unfair country. Those doing well have been remiss in not adhering to 19th century Tory party political instincts.

The more those who oppose the policy vocalise their objection, the more coverage it will get. This is a positive for Labour, as they then get to represent the 93%.

We’re going to need more than vote winners that don’t do much but make people feel happy others get something taken away

That's right, trivialise people's principled objections to a private business getting a dodgy advantage. The politics of envy in disguise.

Of course people support it it’s a populist vote winner. That’s why Starmer is doing it. Not because it’s a vote winner.

Is it the norm in EU to tax education? I know some countries offer a rebate - which is a step too at imo

Not because its bringing much benefit - distracted too many quoters

I think this is an ideological policy.

Spot on

You are not alone.

Er.....the UK is not in the EU.

The idea of a "tax" on education was floated by Julia Gillard of all people in Australia, that parents with higher incomes should pay additional fees for their children to attend state schools. (There are "optional" fees for state schools anyway, at least in Victoria) It did not go down well and was kicked into the long grass.

Do you not compare to other countries? Why not?

The pp because I recall an aggressive poster from Aus attacking often. I guess it was you.

So Labour politicians should not propose policies which the public support?
Or they can only propose policies which fix ALL of societies ills in one swoop?

In Ireland private schools currently get a government subsidy to the tune of €111m.

A subsidy that should be scrapped, and is as ridiculous as the UK VAT exemption.

agree!

twitter.com/MrHarryCole/status/1598438037461127168?t=9VmWincMcwezDIgV7MuvPA&s=19

Oh look, another one.

I can understand and support this policy - even with my own children in the private sector currently. We will pay the extra 20% on fee to keep them in their current primary if it comes to that.

However, it would also influence heavily my decision on their secondary education, where there is already a meaningful increase in fees. Around here the secondary private fees are approx £25k already. Assuming 20% VAT being passed on to parents directly, that takes it to £30k and considering that it is after-income tax money, that means £50-55k per child for us. At this rate I would likely send them to a state secondary and forego paying the whole private secondary. By doing so I’ll be taking a place in a “decent” secondary in our catchment, displacing another child, and this will cascade on.

it’s actually a great option for us. I will also work less or retire early as a result of savings.

In short, a sensible policy but it might not achieve the effect it needs in terms of revenue raise and social equality. The pecking order will remain.

With 92% of children going to state schools, this is going be a vote winner.

If you are happy with your local state school why would you consider paying especially as it would affect other aspects of your life?

Yep

Heaven forbid Labour propose policies that the public support. Best leave that to the Conservatives.

Lumping closing an ancient tax loophole (that nobody can justify) in with Brexit is ludicrous.

Some confusion on here between popular and populist.

Tory supporters understandably pissed off about this policy, because it is both philosophically justifiable (dependent on your core philosophy, of course) and popular. This leaves the Tories in the unfortunate position of trying to argue a pragmatic case against, which looks weak and will inspire no one.

If these schools are so bad and so damaging why do other countries around the world want to recreate them and copy them?

I think I some of you guys are totally mad if you want to close them down.

Agree comparing this to Brexit is ridiculous. I haven't seen a single coherent argument against - and that is the issue for the Tories with this.

People who support the removal of a tax cut for the top percentiles of the country's earners did not all vote for Brexit.

Blairs might well have been influenced by his own children going to the Brompton Oratory, a fee-paying RC school.

Actually no. The Brompton Oratory is the church. The school they went to was the London Oratory which is a state school. It is however an extremely well regarded state school which models itself on a private school in many ways - and it's worth noting that the Blairs were nowhere near the catchment area for it. Obviously their kids got in regardless (denying catchment kids places) Typical hypocritical behaviour.

This private school fees debate rears its head frequently. It's taken hold this time because Keri Starmer has grabbed some low hanging fruit, as he's in need of some people pleaser policies, having been a bit of a damp squib so far. I suspect he'll have to u-turn on it if/when he becomes PM, when they realise all the unintended consequences. If it does come into force though, the precedent will be set and they won't be able to stop there. Things like private healthcare will be next, which will put further pressure on an already horribly overstretched NHS. Careful what you wish for.

This really plays into the Labour messaging that the tories are elitist and only want to better themselves. Let's see how they react.

@Dorisbonson There is no proposal to close.