New Labour peer Shami Chakrabarti admits to a ‘charmed and privileged’ life as she defends sending son to private school

NEW Labour peer Shami Chakrabarti admitted she lives a “charmed and privileged” life as she defended the rights of parents to send their kids to private schools.

Quizzed over her decision to send her son to an £18,000 a year private school, she denied being a hypocrite.

The Shadow Attorney General - who also spoke out against grammar schools - said she was only trying to do the “best for her family.”

But bizarrely Baroness Chakrabarti said she was against plans for more grammars because she knew too many “successful” people who had been “deeply scarred” after failing the 11-plus exam.

The former boss of civil rights group Liberty said she “absolutely” supported Labour’s opposition to Theresa May’s plans for new grammar schools.

She told ITV’s Peston on Sunday: “I have real concerns about grammar schools. In my lifetime, I have met too many people, including incredibly bright, successful people, who carry that scar of failing the 11-plus, and that segregation in schooling.”

It was recently revealed the peer’s son attends Nigel Farage’s old school – the all boys Dulwich College in South East London.

Questioned over accusations of hypocrisy, she said: “I live a charmed and privileged life, much more now than I ever did when I was a child, but people on the left have often had charmed and privileged lives.”

But visibly emotional, she refused to answer further questions on whether middle class pupils at state schools help raise standards.

She added: “I live in a nice big house, and eat nice food, and my neighbours are homeless, and go to food banks.

“Does that make me a hypocrite, or does it make me someone who is trying to do best, not just for my own family, but for other people’s families too?

“This thing about selection - if you’ve got money you will always be all right. If you don’t have money in this country you are increasingly not all right, and that is why I have joined the Labour Party.”

It came as Education Secretary Justine Greening defended the push for new grammars, insisting they could “turbo-charge” the learning opportunities of disadvantaged children.

Theresa May’s schools revolution has been criticised from experts and opposition politicians.

But Ms Greening said the move was about giving parents more choice.

She said poorer children who went to grammar schools progressed twice as fast at grammars as children from wealthier backgrounds.

She said: “Grammars for them are closing the attainment gap, so this is also about saying how can we make sure grammar schools are more open for those disadvantaged children, so that they can really turbo-charge their education.”

But she refused to be drawn on the number of new grammars, saying this was up to local communities to decide.