Following a meeting held in Farnham with parents, teachers and staff from independent schools across Surrey and Hampshire, Gregory Stafford MP and the then-Shadow Chancellor Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Education Secretary.
A response from the Department for Education and HM Treasury were received on 19th November 2024 and 24th December 2024, respectively.
You can find the original letter and both responses in full at the bottom of this page.
"Two months after sending my letter (co-signed by Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP on 23 October), I have finally received responses from the Education Secretary and the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury. That it took two months to provide a reply - one that arrived only after the legislation was already in place - is disgustingly insulting to my constituents. To make matters worse, the response was a generic template with no substantive answers to the very real concerns I raised.
The imposition of a 20% VAT on private school fees is a blatant attack on hardworking families and their children. This policy is not only punitive but likely to force many students out of private education and into the state system, worsening overcrowding and stretching already inadequate resources. The government's failure to conduct a proper assessment of this policy demonstrates their disregard for the damage it will cause.
Claiming that only 0.5% of pupils will be affected is both dismissive and deeply misleading. In reality, the impact will be far greater, and no child should have to suffer as a result of this government’s divisive and damaging politics of envy.
This reckless approach to education policy reflects a wider failure to put the needs of children and families first."
Gregory Stafford MP, 7th January 2025