If labour win the election can they introduce VAT immediately?

[londonparent321]

(For school fees) Or do they need to go through the courts which could take years /never happen?

Probably just needs to go through the normal parliamentary process. If they get a majority it will probably take a few months

No. They go through the normal parliamentary process.

This is highly unlikely to be a priority for them given the state of the country and that a large number of boarding schools are now reliant on foreign students to prop themselves up.

I understand it just needs an amendment to the VAT Regulations. It’s secondary legislation so could reasonably pass through Parliament and into force in about 12 months of an election (?).

Hopefully, yes.

It doesn't require full primary legislation so it could be in relatively quickly, certainly within a year

Within 6 months of an election and their number one priority if you believe our bursar.

Hope so.

I mean right away. The sooner the better for the majority.

I don't understand the 'hope so' posts?

Me neither, as the kids whose parents can’t afford it will move to state school and no way that’s going to be fixed in six months, or even six years. An already stretched environment is about to get a lot worse. Kids who would have went private will go state, parents applying for first secondary school will find themselves travelling miles. It would be a disaster for kids.

the kids whose parents can’t afford it will move to state school

People keep saying this but, assuming it is meant to be those already in secondary, they won’t just get a state school place. If there are no in year places (and for an awful lot of good/outstanding schools there won’t be) they won’t be moving to state school anytime soon.

It may affect new applications to secondary after, or in the run up to, implementation certainly.

So it wouldn’t be an overnight thing. They couldn’t just announce and put in place.

They would announce in first budget (so you would know it was coming) before enacted around 6 months later.

I was told if there was an election October/November then legislation could be passed by May so would be in place for schools fees in academic year 25-26.

People keep saying this but, assuming it is meant to be those already in secondary, they won’t just get a state school place

The LA has to educate them somehow. You'll likely end up with schools being forced to take extra students, disproportionately affecting different areas.

The IFS reckons 20-40,000 will leave the private system. There are 8 million state school places.

There are falling registers due to a reduced birth rate so the extra kids will be accommodated by reallocating budgets.

Hopefully it will be swift

I would have thought it would be for Sept 25. I don't suppose it would be introduced part way through a school year.

Why do you want it to be swift? So the tiny drop in the ocean of education funding is added to the state pot?

So the businesses can reclaim VAT, and those with large capital projects will gain?

I'm a labour voter but disagree with this policy. A load of talk for so little reward.

Let’s hope it gets dropped.

Another thread on this. Great.

I think they'd introduce it into parliament and pass it quite quickly. It's one of the few policy's Labour have left that hasn't been withdrawn. I think Rachel Reeves is very keen on it.

One of the unintended consequences, which will hopefully lead to it being dropped, is schools reducing teachers' packages to pay for it. So staff are being forced to leave their current pension scheme and/or accept pay freezes or look for another role in anticipation of this policy.

What excites you more?
Teachers losing jobs?
Kids losing the education environment they've had for years?
The impending overcrowding in state schools?
Children who the small class size of private schools enabled them to attend unable to cope with the above?
But yes, as long as other people don't get something you'll be happy....
Oh the Labour voters who are all about 'the people' as long as its the right people!

Yep

I’m not sure it will be very fast. If a Labour government ran a public consultation on the new policy before introducing regulations to Parliament that would take several months. Plus the knock on effects on state provision would need to be modelled and planned for.

Whilst the regulations themselves wouldn’t take long in Parliament the policy planning and implementation would.

And yet you chose to click on it, read it, and comment?