Another day, another policy shift from the Labour party. As the i paper first reported, Keir Starmer has U-turned on plans to end the charitable status for private schools. The Labour leader previously declared that the charitable status for private schools could not be justified. However, the new position is that the party can remove ‘unfair tax breaks’ while maintaining the special status for fee-paying schools. This means the party still plans to press on with its pledge to add 20 per cent VAT to private school fees.
Confirming the policy pivot a Labour spokesman said:
‘Our policy remains. We will remove the unfair tax breaks that private schools benefit from, to fund desperately needed teachers and mental health counselling in every secondary school. This doesn’t require removing charitable status, however, driving high and rising standards for every child against the backdrop of a broken economy requires political choices. Labour isn’t afraid to make them.’
So what’s behind the move? As Labour aides have looked in to how to action their plans, issues have surfaced over the practicality. Removing schools’ charitable status would have required a change in the statutory definition of ‘charity’. This would require new legislation being passed and it could also have posed wider implications for the charity sector. Another factor at play is the various functions of private schools in line with their charitable status when it comes to bursaries and scholarships – meaning there could have been various unintended and undesirable consequences to the proposed policy.
It’s a far cry from when Starmer used PMQs to launch an attack on Sunak’s alma mater Winchester
Politically, the policy change is already being seen as another cautious Starmer climbdown as he tried to make sure there is nothing the Tories can attack him for in a general election campaign. Speaking on the BBC’s Political Thinking podcast today, Starmer denied launching an ‘attack on private schools’ – insisting he is ‘very comfortable’ with their existence. His comments highlight how Starmer is keen not to look as though he is engaging in a class war – and wants to make sure his party doesn’t seem anti-aspiration.
It’s a far cry from last year when Starmer used Prime Minister’s Questions to launch an attack on Sunak’s alma mater Winchester. Back then, he spent the session listing all of Winchester College’s amenities – including a rowing club, a rifle club and extensive art collection. It led Sunak to reply:
‘He is attacking people like my parents. This is a country that believes in opportunity, not resentment. He doesn’t understand that, and that’s why he’s not fit to lead.’
Nearly a year on, Starmer wants to suggest the opposite.
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