The majority of parents think it is right for children to attend private schools and do not want them abolished, new polling has revealed.
Some 72 per cent of people think it is right for parents to use financial means to give their children the best possible start in life - including by sending them to private schools, compared to just a tenth who deem it wrong.
In the poll conducted by think tank Civitas, 52 per cent of Britons also insisted private schools should not be abolished, compared to 15 per cent who do.
The results have sparked questions over the popularity and viability of Labour's plans to charge VAT on private school fees, which the sector has said could see some institutions forced to close.
While independent schools are not seen in a completely positive light - most of the public believe they are 'elitist' and 'exclusive' - the main concerns over private education are over access.
Half of respondents said more bursaries and scholarships being offered would make them view the institutions more favourably.
Tory MP Robin Walker, the chair of education select committee but speaking in a personal capacity, said: 'The public know that Labour's proposal to impose an extra tax on independent schools is all about politics and not about policy.
'It is a poorly thought through policy that would increase costs to families without benefiting publicly funded schools and create a demand for places in state secondary schools that don't currently exist.
'We need to support real investment in our schools and we should be celebrating the success of our small independent sector and the many partnerships it supports with publicly funded schools rather than trying to create dividing lines and penalising those who, after paying their tax, choose to invest more in their children's education.'
Andrew Lewer, a member of the Education Select Committee, said: 'Labour's plan has serious implications for all schools and for society more broadly.
