Keir Starmer defends private school VAT hike amidst Edinburgh capacity warning

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to ensure "the right teachers are in place" in all state schools as he prepares to impose a new tax on private academies.

The new Labour government intends to put VAT on private school fees.

The policy aims to raise £1.6bn per year to fund an increase in teacher numbers and Labour has suggested that education providers could absorb the tax without passing the cost on to parents.

But the Independent Schools Council has called that "unworkable" and said some parents would no longer be able to afford term fees.

Now Scottish Lib Dem MP Christine Jardine has questioned how state schools will cope with extra pupils who are withdrawn from independents when fees go up.

While Scottish education provision is devolved, VAT remains a reserved matter.

Edinburgh West MP Jardine said the change will put pressure on state schools in her area.

The city of Edinburgh is home to several independent institutions, including Fettes College and George Watson's.

Addressing Starmer in his first PMQs since the general election, Jardine said: "I'm sure he will want to reassure the many parents and teachers in Edinburgh West who have expressed concerns about the implication for our state education system in Scotland of the VAT increase in independent fees which he proposes.

"Edinburgh City Council, led by the Labour Party, have produced five-year projections which 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 in Scotland from those fees can be reinvested in already hard-pressed Scottish education?"

Starmer responded: "I do obviously understand the aspiration that parents who work hard and save hard have for their children that they send to private school.

"But every parent has that aspiration, whichever school they go to.

"And 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, whatever their background, has the same opportunity, and I do not apologise for that."