VAT on school fees will leave state pupils worse off

ANOTHER day, another Keir Starmer U-turn.

- Esther Krakue

Quelle surprise! After dropping a £28billion "green spending" pledge earlier this year, shelving plans to elect the House of Lords and halting the re-introduction of a cap on bankers' bonuses, the Labour leader has now backtracked on plans to add VAT to all fee-paying schools by exempting pupils with the most severe special educational needs.

This latest about-turn is one we all saw coming. It is another nail in the coffin for a policy motivated by sheer class envy without common sense.

Why would some students need to be exempt from VAT on private education if the goal of universal mediocrity is such a noble aim?

By creating this provision, Sir Keir has now opened a can of worms. He is not only acknowledging that state schools don't provide a good enough education for some of our most vulnerable youngsters, but he has also become the arbiter of a system that he seems to hate so much. Where will this all end?

Will students now need to provide a worthiness certificate? And what is classed as special needs?

What about a socially awkward child who would benefit from private schools' smaller class sizes? Does Comrade Starmer find their reasoning worthy of deserving a decent education, or must the Treasury fill its coffers at that poor student's expense?