Labour leader criticises tax breaks for private schools

Rishi Sunak has been criticised for giving tax breaks to private schools during Prime Minister's Questions.

Sir Keir Starmer said Winchester College, which Mr Sunak attended, had been given millions of pounds of taxpayers' money.

The Labour leader said: "Winchester College has a rowing club, a rifle club, an extensive art collection, they charge over £45,000 a year in fees.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "I'm pleased he wants to talk about schools, because we have recently announced billions more funding for our schools.

"We're helping millions of the most disadvantaged children catch up with their lost learning. And we're driving up school standards.

"During Covid, he wanted to keep schools closed. We shouldn't be surprised because I listen to parents and he listens to his union paymasters."

The Prime Minister accused the Labour leader of attacking "the hard-working aspiration of millions" over his criticism of tax breaks for private schools.

Sir Keir Starmer said: "His Levelling Up Secretary... who after all was education secretary for four years, said you could scarcely find a better way of ending burning injustices than scrapping these handouts."

He added: "Just done the road in Southampton... four in every 10 pupils failed their English or maths GCSE this year... is that £6m of taxpayers' money better spent on rifle ranges in Winchester or driving up standards in Southampton?"

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "He talks about school standards - it's under a Conservative Government and thanks to the reforms of the former education secretary that now almost 90% of schools are good or outstanding.

"Whenever he attacks me about where I went to school, he is attacking the hard-working aspiration of millions of people in this country, he's attacking people like my parents.

"This is a country that believes in opportunity not resentment. He doesn't understand that and that's why he's not fit to lead."