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Labour’s John McDonnell backs motion to scrap private schools


Britain’s opposition Labour party is moving closer to scrapping private schools after shadow chancellor John McDonnell backed an “Abolish Eton” motion set to be debated at the party conference this weekend.

Mr McDonnell said he supported a motion proposed by Labour Against Private Schools, a campaign group, which advocates removing independent schools’ charitable status, placing limits on their entry to universities and forcing them to let state schools use their assets.

“We know that our society is grotesquely unequal, and part of the reason for that is because of the inequalities in education, particularly in private schools, where large amounts of money are spent on a privileged few,” Mr McDonnell said.

The shadow chancellor said he wanted an integrated education system “where private schools don’t need to exist” and with equal quality of education everywhere. The Independent Schools Council, which represents the interests of private schools, says the sector educates 6.5 per cent of children in the UK, with the figure rising to 15 per cent for pupils over the age of 16.

At present Labour’s position is a more moderate policy of removing the VAT exemption from private schools. That policy — along with another mooted proposal for scrapping business rate exemptions — would raise about £1.6bn, according to leaked party documents.

The fact that Mr McDonnell, one of the most influential figures in the party, has swung behind the campaign makes it more likely to end up in the next Labour manifesto.

Research by the Sutton Trust and the Social Mobility Commission has found that over half of Britain’s senior judges, top civil servants and Foreign Office diplomats were privately educated.

The research, published in June, found that 39 per cent of the cabinet at the time went to fee-paying schools along with 65 per cent of senior judges, 57 per cent of peers, 59 per cent of permanent secretaries and 52 per cent of diplomats.

The “Abolish Eton” campaign is already backed by Ian Lavery, the Labour chairman, and former leader Ed Miliband, along with Corbyn-supporting frontbenchers such as Clive Lewis and Laura Pidcock.

Rob Poole, a teacher who is one of the campaign organisers, said it was imperative that the Labour conference debated the full “radical” motion.

“With Jeremy Corbyn as the most leftwing leader the Labour party has ever had, this is a historic opportunity to dismantle the private school system which confers unfair privileges and perpetuates inequality,” he said.

But Mike Buchanan, executive director of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference, said the proposals would “tear apart the fabric of education” in Britain.

“Independent schools have played a vital role in the education system for generations and they are recognised around the world as beacons of excellence. We want to see all pupils getting the same opportunities by pushing up standards everywhere, not by destroying some of the best,” he said.

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