Conservative lawmakers have accused Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson of waging a "vindictive class war" with the new Value Added Tax (VAT) on private school fees. The criticism comes as it was revealed that Phillipson's family sold a council house, where she grew up, for a profit of over 900 percent.
Shadow Education Secretary James Cleverly stated that the policy, effective from January 2025, is not about raising funds or recruiting teachers but about "punishing people who spend their own money to send their children to private school." He added that the policy serves to "scratch a party-political itch" rather than benefit the country. Cleverly declined to use the same phrasing as Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who compared Phillipson to a "Gestapo officer" over the tax, but echoed the sentiment that the policies are "vindictive" and "about class war."
Labour's election manifesto outlined the private school tax as a measure to fund 6,500 new teachers in the state sector. However, recent figures indicate a reduction of 1,900 teachers in mainstream schools over the past year, raising questions about the policy's claimed impact. Phillipson's office has defended the figures, stating that a reported increase of 3,008 teachers in secondary and special schools is accurate because the target did not include primary schools and used a pre-election period as a benchmark.
In response to the Conservative attacks, a Labour spokesman called the accusations a "vile smear campaign" and accused the Tories of "hating working class people that do well." The spokesman stated that "No amount of smears or hateful personal attacks is going to stop Bridget Phillipson delivering better life chances for working class families denied opportunity by fourteen years of Tory austerity."
Council House Sale
The controversy was amplified by a report detailing the sale of Phillipson's childhood council house. Her mother purchased the two-bedroom property in Washington, Tyne and Wear, in 1990 for £9,600 under the right-to-buy scheme, which offered a 38 percent discount. The house was later sold in May 2023 for £99,950, resulting in a profit of over 900 percent.
This development comes as Labour's Social Housing Bill is progressing through Parliament. The proposed legislation aims to significantly reduce the number of council houses sold under the right-to-buy initiative. The bill plans to extend the required tenancy period before a resident can purchase their home from three years to ten, and will cap discounts at a maximum of 15 percent, down from previous higher levels. Ministers argue these changes are necessary to increase the supply of social housing, with projections indicating a 90 percent drop in sales, from approximately 8,200 annually to around 850.