Bridget Phillipson MP

Labour’s shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson has revealed she hasn’t carried out any “official” visits to independent schools, despite being in her role for almost two years. She also said that she never considered sending her own children to independent schools.

Conservative MP Andrew Lewer, a member of the Education Select Committee and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Independent Education, said: “Can you imagine a politician proposing such massive changes to any other part of the economy or society without even bothering to engage with it in any serious way? It clearly underlines that Labour’s education policies are driven by spite and the politics of envy.”