Corbyn ally MPs oppose Labour's school fees tax raid

Two of Jeremy Corbyn’s Commons allies have united with the Tories to oppose Labour’s tax raid on private schools, despite having been elected on left-wing tickets.

- ARCHIE MITCHELL

Pro-Gaza independents Iqbal Mohamed and Ayoub Khan spoke out against Sir Keir Starmer’s plans to levy VAT on independent schools and remove their relief from business rates.

The pair, who have joined Mr Corbyn’s Independent Alliance alongside other left-wing independents elected in July, both opposed the plans being introduced by Labour. They make unlikely bedfellows for the Tories, having banded together under a promise to create “a more equal and peaceful world”.

In a joint statement last month, they said: “We were elected by our constituents to provide hope in a parliament of despair… millions of people are crying out for a real alternative to austerity, inequality and war.”

But speaking in a debate about Labour’s policy yesterday, Mr Mohamed said the policy would be “hugely damaging”, while Mr Khan also voiced his opposition to the plans.