Labour in chaos as Emily Thornberry slapped down by Bridget Phillipson in schools row
The Labour Shadow Cabinet is very publicly at war today over the threat from their party's private schools tax.
Bridget Phillipson says Emily Thornberry misspoke
Labour frontbencher Emily Thornberry received a humiliating public slap down this morning by a front bench colleague after she claimed yesterday that the party’s private school tax could hurt ordinary pupils.
Ms Thornberry, the party’s shadow Attorney General, told GB News yesterday: “It's fine, you know, if we have to in the short term have larger classes, we have larger classes”.
The Tories were delighted at the confession, as it appeared to back up their case against Labour’s planned VAT hike on private school fees, which many argue could end up costing more than it raises if large numbers of pupils end up transferring from the private to state sector.
In response, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan leapt on Ms Thornberry’s admission, warning: “Today Labour admitted their tax raid will lead to ‘larger classes’ in state schools, punishing children to pay for their plans”.
“It's not just hard-working parents who will pay the price for Labour with £2,094 of extra taxes, it's also our children who will be impacted by Labour’s politics of envy.”
In an attempt to fight back from the humiliating gaffe, this morning Labour’s own education spokesman Bridget Phillipson was forced to publicly admonish her shadow cabinet colleague.
Taking to Sky News, Ms Phillipson blasted her colleague as “not right”.
She insisted: “Well I’m afraid that’s not right, because what we’re seeing at the moment is a falling number of young people arriving at our state schools… the challenges that state schools are facing are quite different at the moment”.
“Many are having to consider merging or closing - that’s starting to happen in some parts of our country and is likely to happen elsewhere.”
Asked a second time by Kay Burley whether Emily Thornberry misspoke, Ms Phillipson confirmed: “She did, I’m afraid, that’s not our position, that’s not how things are at the moment."
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On Times Radio, the shadow Education Secretary added that she will be "happy" to "have a word" with Ms Thornberry about her claim yesterday.
Last month a new report warned that Labour’s plan to introduce VAT on fees for independent schools will place a significant burden on the state sector and disrupt the education of thousands of children.
The Scottish Council for Independent Schools found that 6,000 pupil will have their learning disrupted by being forced out of the sector.
They added that the cost of children joining the state system would be more than £50 million.
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There have already been reports that pupil numbers are down as parents predict a Labour victory and increased educational costs, with a couple of institutions shutting down entirely and blaming Labour’s policy.
Downham Prep School in Norfolk levelled blame at Labour as it was forced to close its doors, as did parents at Alton School in Hampshire.
However Sir Keir Starmer has denied that his tax raid was to blame.
