Oral Answers to Questions

Christine Jardine Excerpts

Wednesday 24th July 2024 Commons Chamber

[Christine Jardine (Edinburgh West) (LD)]

Q2. I congratulate the Prime Minister and welcome him to his place. I am sure he will want to reassure the many parents and teachers in Edinburgh West who have expressed concerns about the implications for our state education system in Scotland of his proposal to levy VAT on independent fees. Edinburgh city council, led by the Labour party, has produced five-year projections that show we do not have capacity in the city to accommodate pupils who may leave the independent sector. Moreover, how will he ensure that the VAT raised from fees in Scotland can be reinvested in Scotland’s already hard-pressed education system?

[The Prime Minister]

Obviously, I understand the aspiration that parents who work hard and save hard have for the children they send to private school, but every parent has that aspiration, whichever school their children go to. I am determined that we will have the right teachers in place in our state secondary schools to ensure that every child, wherever they come from and whatever their background, has the same opportunity, and I do not apologise for that.