Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice has claimed that the Government’s decision to impose VAT on private school fees discriminates against children with special educational needs.
He also claimed that Conservative leadership candidates have adopted polices advocated by Reform UK.
Tice told Camilla Tominey on GB News: “I indicated back in May that this ridiculous policy would end up in the courts. And sure enough, that's where it's heading…
“There are about 110,000 special needs children, special education needs children who are in independent schools, of whom about 100,000 don't get any educational health and care plan, therefore they're not exempt from this VAT policy.
“I suspect half of them are going to have to go back into the state system. There aren't the places in the state system…I have hundreds of people emailing me saying she [Education Secretary] is I'm afraid - she's not telling the truth.
“I’ve got loads of people emailing me saying the state school locally has said they haven't got any room in their classes. There's no room for SEND, for special educational needs children.
“This is a catastrophe waiting to happen, and I think the Government is going to be tied up in knots with legal cases. It's discriminatory. It's damaging the education of those children.
“It's a breach of their human rights and the ability to have a proper education, because there aren't the special educational needs places in the state system.
“They're saying we can't accommodate you, which means that you have to go into a mainstream school, which means your education, the education of your child, is clearly damaged and that's very serious.”
He added: “I'm saying this because education is the most, most important human right. It's the original charitable purpose, and the discrimination elements of it - how can you discriminate against children from 7 to 18?
“But then the elitist universities, they're not going to have VAT put on their fees. That's discriminatory too. I promise you, this is going to run and run in the courts.”
On the contest to become the leader of the Conservative Party, he suggested candidates had adopted Reform UK policies: “He [Robert Jenrick] might as well have carried on his journey to Reform.
“The reality is you can't trust a word they say. I mean, dear old Kemi Badenoch this week…was talking tough on China and net zero. Two months ago, she wasn't saying any of this stuff.
“She did rail against a few things. She didn't rail against China, she didn't rail against net zero. All of a sudden, because of what Reform is standing for, she's basically coming to our turf. You can't trust what these people say.”
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