VAT on fees: 'Where is the benefit of this policy?'

Ms Robinson took part in a discussion alongside journalist and campaigner Fiona Millar in light of figures showing a fall in pupil numbers at independent schools since the introduction of Labour's VAT on fees policy. Ms Robinson said the tax is already having a greater impact than forecast, with around 30,000 pupils leaving the sector compared with an expected 37,000 over five years.

Warning that families and communities are being disrupted while mainstream independent schools continue to close, she said: "I'm also a governor in a state school in North London and we're not seeing any tangible positive effect from this tax policy that Labour brought in. What we ought to do with any policy is be guided by evidence and if the evidence shows effects that are different from those forecast then those effects should be reviewed."

Ms Robinson also emphasised that independent schools are part of the wider education ecosystem, working in partnership with state schools to broaden opportunities and share resources. She added that strengthening education outcomes depends on collaboration between sectors rather than additional taxation. "You don't have to enact an extra tax to get that. You just work together to spread educational opportunities," she explained.

In response to Mr Vine's question about the government's claim that more independent schools have opened than closed since 2025, Ms Robinson said the figures do not provide the full picture. "That number includes special schools, where fees are not largely subject to VAT, and that provision isn't suitable for children whose mainstream school has closed," she said.