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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Nicholas Cecil

Starmer forced to deny shadow Cabinet minister claim that VAT on private schools may push up state class sizes

Emily Thornberry Bridget Phillipson

Sir Keir Starmer was forced to deny a claim by one of his own shadow Cabinet ministers that class sizes in state schools may increase as a result of Labour plans to charge VAT on private schools.

Shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry suggested on Sunday that “it would be fine if we have to, in the short term, have larger classes”.

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