The government has accused critics of its plan to put VAT on independent school fees of being detached from the real world.

A poll of more than 2,000 people, commissioned by the Private Education Policy Forum (PEPF) think tank, found that 54% of people backed the policy, which came into force on 1 January, with 22% opposing it. This is an even greater margin of support than seen in similar polls carried out before the election.

Some 57% of people said they found the overall private education system to be unfair with 22% disagreeing. The poll also showed strong support for the idea of UK private schools being obliged to open a quarter of their places for free to local children, to improve social mixing.

A government source said: “This is yet more conclusive evidence of the overwhelming support for this Labour government’s policy of removing tax breaks from private schools to invest in the state sector. With every hysterical headline attacking our policy, the Tories and their backers in the right wing press show the public just how out of touch they are.”

“And by pledging to restore tax breaks to the privileged few at the expense of investment in state schools used by the many, the Conservatives show they have learned nothing from their humbling election defeat.”

Downing Street backed education secretary Bridget Phillipson after she argued that the bulk of middle-class parents had been priced out by soaring private school fees and were therefore likely to support the policy.

Private school fees had risen by about 75% in real terms since 2000, with the average annual cost per child now about £18,000 a year, “which is clearly out of reach for the majority of parents in our country”, Keir Starmer’s official spokesperson said.

“The government has been very clear that by ending this VAT break for private schools, it means an additional £1.7bn of investment into our state schools, where 94% of this country’s children are educated.”