The Prime Minister has accused Sir Keir Starmer of wanting to “punish” the parents of private school pupils and stoking a “class war” with Labour’s pledge to charge VAT on school fees.
Rishi Sunak, who was privately educated, said the Opposition would be “clamping down” on the aspirations of parents who work “really hard” to send their children to independent schools with its policy.
But Labour hit back at Mr Sunak, with shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson calling his words an “insult” to families across the UK.
Mr Sunak attended Winchester College in Hampshire, one of the UK’s top and most expensive private schools where fees for day pupils are more than £36,000 per year and boarders pay almost £50,000, according to its website.
The Prime Minister, speaking to BBC South Today during a round of regional broadcast interviews ahead of the Conservative Party conference, said: “Labour’s approach illustrates that they just don’t understand the aspiration of families like my parents who were working really hard.
“They wanted to do something for their kids that they thought would make a difference to them. Labour’s approach to that is to clamp down on it.
“They don’t understand the aspiration that people have to provide a better life for their kids.
“They want to punish them for that as part of some class war. I don’t think that is right.”
