Angela Rayner appears to call for ABOLITION of private schools in unearthed clip
Angela Rayner appeared to suggest private schools should be abolished while she was serving as Shadow Education Secretary
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Angela Rayner appeared to suggest private schools should be abolished while she was serving as Shadow Education Secretary.
A clip that has emerged from 2018 reveals Rayner saying her party would "end the marketisation and privatisation of our education".
At the time, she said Labour would not do so because of "dogma" but argued the "evidence says that the best system for our young people’s education is a comprehensive state system."
Speaking in Leeds, Rayner said: "We will end the marketisation and privatisation of our education.
Angela Rayner appeared to suggest private schools should be abolished while she was serving as Shadow Education Secretary.
PA
"We’ll do it because the evidence says that the best system for our young people’s education is a comprehensive state system. Worldwide, that’s what it says.”
She added: "And our next Labour government will not tinker around the edges. No more magnolia politics, as I like to call it, where we all don’t want to upset anyone but in the process we cheese off everybody because nobody quite knows what we’re about."
But a Labour spokesperson said claims Rayner wanted to abolish private schools is "more desperate nonsense from the Tories and completely misrepresents what Angela actually said".
The speech was first unearthed by ex-Conservative aide Ross Kempsell.
The latest remarks come amid growing concern over Labour's plans to introduce VAT on private schools.
Earlier this week, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer slapped down his Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry after she suggested ending the charitable status of private schools could lead to larger class sizes.
Starmer slapped down his Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry after she suggested ending the charitable status of private schools could lead to larger class sizes
GBN
Thornberry told GB News: "Certainly, some schools that have vacancies – my primary schools and my secondary schools have space and they’re very welcome.
"They are good schools and people should send their children there.
"I mean, it’s fine, and if we have to, in the short term, have larger classes, we have larger classes."
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But asked if Thornberry was incorrect, Starmer said: "Yes."
Speaking to LBC, he added: "We’ve had the analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies on this, which says that there’ll be a negligible impact. So we’re very confident about that."
"Bridget [Phillipson] has got it right and Emily didn’t get it quite right.
"Bridget is obviously the shadow secretary of state on education, and Emily just got the lines a bit wrong there."