Romford and Hornchurch Conservative Councillor and former teacher Judith Holt lays out the problems with Labour's education tax

Why this Labour School Tax on private schools? Partly envy, I daresay – Labour seems to resent people bettering themselves and choosing how they want to spend their money. I suspect another reason they are against private schools is they represent a freedom of choice and thought – away from state control and doctrines.

At the private school where I taught for over twenty years, among the doctors, solicitors and shopkeepers, a good number of the parents were in lesser-paid jobs – one couple managed a launderette - but they saved and made financial sacrifices to allow their children to have the best start in life. Some SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) children thrive in smaller independent schools and classes which are better suited to their needs than large state schools. It is all about what is best for the child (just ask Diane Abbott). It is these groups Labour’s “envy tax” will hit – not those at Eton or Harrow.

We have the usual loud comments from Labour about how the nasty Tories have made financial cuts to schools etc. etc. However, as we know from the NHS, it is not all about pumping money into schools – it is how that money is spent. The school where I taught was in an old building on a small site and not as well-resourced as some state schools – yet, it sent children to grammar schools (wish there were some in Havering!), to public schools with scholarships and to top state schools such as The Coopers’ Company and Coborn School in Upminster (all the schools Labour would class as “elitist”) Why? Because, the school focused on high standards and expectations of education and conduct from the children and staff, above all. It is not just about money.

Repeatedly, we hear political opponents of private education complain it’s unfair because not everyone can afford it. Well, by saying this, they are admitting that private schools ARE better. So, why do they object to parents choosing them? Envy yet again! If you believe firmly in the principle of state education, focus on doing the best for your child in his or her state school, and they will likely thrive. Don’t worry about those who choose differently.

Labour’s school tax is a thoroughly cynical move, to try to squash institutions and choices which do not conform to its left-wing ideology (think ULEZ). Worst of all, in this case, it is children - including 90,000 with special needs places - who will suffer. What is best for each individual child ought to come before any adult’s political or ideological beliefs.

So – why does the new Labour Government – with its grammar school-educated Prime Minister, choral scholar Foreign Secretary and numerous Oxford graduates - think it is acceptable to tax children’s education, but are happy to keep their antiques tax free? Answers, please? Silence from the class!