Labour’s plan to force private schools to pay VAT is a mistake that underlines Labour’s poor understanding of how to stay in government

It is widely assumed that the Labour Party will be back in power for the first time in 14 years after the upcoming July 4 general election. However, for a party to make any real change, it requires a minimum of 2 terms in office (i.e. at least 8 years). To do so, you need a first term that avoids rocking the boat.

Improving quality of life and reducing poverty is a major issue at present. Many erroneously think that the few £millions we spend on illegal migrants is the reason behind their poverty. Erroneous or not, the incoming government will need to address poverty by either generating more wealth more evenly – by creating more jobs – or they will need to address the small boats problem and also bring net migration down.
None of those objectives will be achieved via slapping VAT on private schools.

This warped notion that the rich send their kids to private schools is quite simply put, warped! Many of Labour’s leaders grew up on council estates, believing the rich must pay! While also aspiring to get out of the rat race to become….. (yes, you guessed correctly)… Rich.

A large percentage of parents who send their kids to private schools are not rich. Far from it. They are hard working people with just about as much money to stay afloat. They sacrifice going on holidays and other luxuries, to pay the school fees because private schools offer extra hours, which allow those parents to work longer days. This sacrifice also helps reduce the number of children fighting for state school places, which is a great help to the supposedly poor folk who can’t afford to send their kids to private schools.

It is the type of move – by the Labour Party – that shows they have still not learnt how to take in the bigger picture, which is what’s required to last in power. Such a move, is what you propose after your second term in power, not during a first return after 14 years in the wilderness!

There is no doubt that the Labour Party mean well. They are a bunch of individuals who truly want to help. They want to better the lot of poor people and improve the standard of living across the board. Sadly, they are going about it in a manner that is likely to result in failure and a short, single term in power.