Boris Johnson brands Jeremy Corbyn’s bid to abolish private schools ‘unbelievable hypocrisy’ that will cost taxpayers £7billion
BORIS Johnson has branded Jeremy Corbyn’s bid to abolish private schools as “unbelievable hypocrisy” that would cost taxpayers £7billion.
The PM lashed out at the plan - decided on by a vote at a Labour conference on Sunday – as a relic of “long buried Socialist ideology”.
It would cost the 10 figure sum for taxpayers to pick up the bill to teach today’s private school kids, he argued.
Boris also levelled the charge of personal hypocrisy at a raft of senior Labour figures – including Mr Corbyn and a number of his key aides – who had themselves benefited from fee-paying schools.
On arrival in New York for a UN summit, the PM said: “I have to say I think it unbelievable hypocrisy of the Labour party now to trot out this measure from the 1970s.
“Most of Mr Corbyn’s closest associates seem to have gone to fee-based schools.”
The Tory leader added: “It’s extraordinary they’ve excavated this from the crypt that I thought to be long buried Socialist ideology. Let’s be clear.
This would cost £7billion of taxpayers money to educate at public expense all the children who would no longer be educated privately, as Jeremy Corbyn was, as indeed were the offspring of several Labour cabinet ministers I will not name.
“It would mean cuts to the sort of funding we’re now putting in.”
Old Etonian Boris also fended off attacks on his own elite schooling.
Mr Johnson added: “I’ve been very fortunate in my life in all sorts of ways. I certainly owe a lot to my education.
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“But my ambition is for everyone in this country to get the education they deserve. That’s why we’re levelling up opportunity across the country.”
A snap YouGov poll today found that half of all Brits – 50% - also oppose Labour’s plan to scrap private schools, while just a fifth support it.
Even Labour voters are split almost down the middle, with 38% in favour and 35% against.
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