An analysis of the biographical reference book 'Who's Who' has found that 36 Labour MPs who attended private schools have not declared this in their entries, compared to 18 who have. This comes as the government, which includes Labour MPs, is implementing tax increases on private education.
According to the analysis, some Labour ministers and MPs have omitted details about their private schooling from their 'Who's Who' profiles. This includes a foreign minister whose education at a £63,000-a-year Westminster School was not listed, despite its historical connection to the Labour Party through his father.
Other notable omissions include a former defence secretary who did not mention attending St Peter's School in York, and a minister for AI and Online Safety who did not list Eton College. The Culture Secretary's entry mentioned her comprehensive schooling but omitted her attendance at a private preparatory school.
Similarly, a housing minister did not disclose her attendance at a private school, and an ex-minister, who has supported the tax increases on private education, failed to mention her time at Robert Gordon's College in Aberdeen, an institution that has detailed its objections to the measure.
The Conservative Party chairman criticized these omissions, labeling them as hypocrisy and a tactic to obscure their personal backgrounds while implementing policies affecting the private education sector. He suggested that these MPs were "pulling up the ladder behind them."
In response to inquiries, some MPs stated they were proud of their education and had been open about it elsewhere. One minister said he was unaware of his 'Who's Who' entry and had been open about his education on his website. Another insisted it was "common knowledge" that she attended her former private school and that she had "always been open about this."