Starmer’s VAT raid will ensure private schools become even more elitist

Letters to the editor: our readers share their views. Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

As an immigrant who arrived in the UK with parents who spoke little English, I understand the transformative power of education. I am a first-generation university student, an option made remotely possible, in large part, due to the local private school I attended on a scholarship.

However, Labour’s plan to impose VAT on private school fees threatens to close that door for many (“Labour preparing for private school closures after VAT raid on fees, reports suggest”, Thursday 26 December).

While the policy is being framed as a move toward equality, its actual impact will be the obverse.

With fewer scholarships on offer, fewer children from disadvantaged backgrounds will have access to the opportunities I was fortunate enough to receive. The private schools that do survive will likely become more elitist, widening the gap between the privileged few and the rest of society.

It’s clear that the government’s policy is not about raising vast sums of tax revenue. The stated intention is to create a more aspirational society. But how can we aspire when opportunities are being taken away from those who need them most? Regardless of political affiliation, we must ask ourselves: is this truly the kind of society we want to build?

The “British Dream” has always been about creating a society where everyone, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to succeed. For children like me, private schools are not the elite institutions many picture; they are a lifeline, a chance to escape the limitations of circumstance and build a better future.

Malik Fraz Ahmad

Bradford

Lib Dems hold the key to defeating Farage

It is not surprising to me that Reform and Nigel Farage are popular ("Tories accuse Farage of ‘fakery’ over claims Reform now has more members than Conservatives", Friday 27 December). A prolonged cost of living crisis and the lacklustre leadership of Labour and the Tories are, I think, the root causes.

The country has never really recovered from either Brexit or Covid, and ideas for real change from the usual quarters are not compelling.

As with the US and Europe, liberals and democrats must face up to the challenge from populist nationalism. In the UK, our own Lib Dems could take the lead by championing the creation of a stakeholder economy, to ensure everyone feels part of our national project.

Formulating and campaigning for a new written constitution would also counter the danger that populists pose to UK democracy.

Andrew McLuskey

Ashford, Middlesex

Will nobody think of the children’s toys?

Your recent article “Toy stores could go bust under Trump’s proposed international tariffs” (Thursday 26 December) raises critical concerns regarding the future of independent retailers in the US. The proposed tariffs threaten to inflate prices drastically, compelling consumers to turn to larger chains.

This not only undermines small businesses but also removes vital choice from the market. As John F Kennedy noted, “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.” Now is the moment for policymakers to consider the long-term implications of their economic decisions and advocate for fair trade practices.

Alastair Majury

Dunblane

The hunt goes on…

Your report on hunting (“Pressure mounts on Labour to impose trail hunting ban”, Thursday 26 December) says that “countryside groups” have “responded angrily” to the plan.

In the interests of accuracy, this is not so: a pro-bloodsports organisation has responded angrily to the plan, which is absolutely no surprise to anyone. The Council for the Protection of Rural England, the Wildlife Trusts, the Woodland Trust… no actual countryside group wants to protect the abomination of hunting.

A ban on trail hunting alone is not enough, as the past 20 years have shown anyone with eyes and a grain of intelligence just how ruthlessly the law is constantly and completely ignored. As a hunt monitor with more than 30 years of experience, I can tell you that hunting carries on exactly as before the ban.

“Trail hunting” does not exist; its only function is as an excuse, a handy false alibi, an all-purpose get-out. I know Christmas is a time for fairytales, but the one about “trail hunting” is the most sinister, the darkest and most fiendish, of them all.

Penny Little

Great Haseley, Oxfordshire