There are now less than 24 hours until Budget day, and this morning Wes Streeting was sent onto the airwaves ahead of the Chancellor’s statement. The Health Secretary was in a fighting mood, however – particularly on the issue of VAT hikes on private schools.
Quizzed by LBC’s Nick Ferrari about the tax plan, Streeting was quick to take a pop at privately-funded institutions. Dismissing concerns about the move from independent educators – including those catering for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND schools) – the Health Secretary accused institutions of ‘pleading poverty’. Crikey.
Going on, Streeting fumed:
I would say to independent schools, you have hiked up your fees up with inflation-busting increases year after year after year, since 2010, and now you’re pleading poverty?
If you’re worried about whether children can continue to access your schools, you’ll have to cut your cloth in the way that state schools have had to do for over a decade.
Er, right. It’s not the first time the Cabinet Secretary has ruffled feathers over the issue. Streeting raged on GB News that parents ‘can’t complain’ about the proposed plans as they were ‘warned’ about the changes – despite concerns from parents of children attending SEND schools that they will not be protected from the tax as their children do not have an education, health and care plan (EHCP). In fact, as pointed out by the Conservative’s Claire Coutinho in August, the majority of pupils at SEND schools lack one – meaning they will not be exempt from the VAT hike. Good heavens…
It’s something Sir Keir Starmer himself has struggled to justify in the past – floundering in a previous pre-election interview on LBC over the matter. The Prime Minister’s approval rating score has already seen a bigger fall than another other new PM of modern times while his government is less popular than Sunak’s boys in blue – and with concerns about tomorrow’s Budget decisions very much widespread, the Labour lot are unlikely to see their fortunes change any time soon.
Watch the clip here:
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