The Labour leader also appeared to back away from one of the most radical policies passed at Labour’s party conference as he refused to commit to abolishing private schools.

Asked at his campaign launch yesterday whether in government he would “abolish Eton”, the Labour leader said the education policy would be set at the “Clause V” meeting, which makes the final decision on the party’s election platform. He hinted that Labour would promise only to end private schools’ tax breaks instead.

“For starters, we will definitely [make] sure that all those private schools — public schools as they call themselves — will actually have to pay their taxes in a fair and proper way,” he said.

A policy of removing the VAT exemption on private school fees to pay for free school meals for primary school children featured in the last Labour manifesto in 2017.

Read more at: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/general-election-2019-i-will-sort-brexit-in-months-its-not-hard-says-corbyn-8slvn3d82

See also: Labour members call to 'redistribute' private schools' assets

Labour plans to abolish private schools would be devastating for UK taxpayer warns expert

The Labour party’s proposed plans to abolish private education and move all students into the state sector would have “severe consequences” on taxpayers, a tax expert told Express.co.uk.

Campaign manager for TaxPayers' Alliance, Duncan Simpson, spoke to Express.co.uk about the impact of Labour’s manifesto plans on the taxpayer. During the Labour Party’s conference in Brighton, delegates endorsed a radical plan to abolish private schools and redistribute their assets to the state sector. The decision sparked outrage with experts like Mr Simpson warning that this would have “severe consequences” on taxpayers who would be forced to foot the bill.

He told Express.co.uk: “Those who send kids to private school are obviously already paying for the education of kids who don’t go to private school on top of fees for that.

“Most private schools are benefitting from a relatively generous position already in the tax code.

“They don’t pay VAT, certain reduced rates, obviously they have charity status which is advantageous for that.

“It’s about seven or eight percent of the total number of kids in education who are in private school.”

He continued: “The cost of transferring all of that over to the state sector will be well in excess of the current tax advantages which quite a few of these private schools enjoy.

“I don’t know what the particular view in the Labour Party is on how they would actually implement that, for example to make sure there would be enough spaces and how this impacts people’s taxes.

“That’s going to be quite a severe consequence in terms of how do we actually pay for hundreds of thousands of more kids moving from the private sector to the state sector.”

Read more at: https://www.express.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/1198284/Labour-Party-Jeremy-Corbyn-Taxpayers-Alliance-Duncan-Simpson-tax-private-school-education

See also: Labour’s promise to abolish private schools benefits no one