The headmaster of Harlow, Essex-based Saint Nicholas School has warned that parents of children at independent schools face paying thousands of pounds more if Labour achieves power and imposes VAT on fees.

Speaking to BBC Politics East, Terence Ayres said: “There’s not much room for us to manoeuvre regarding fees. We ultimately would have to pass the VAT on to our parents which would have a real impact on them.”

The Independent Schools Association’s chief executive of Rudolf Eliott Lockhart added that is VAT is added to fees “it will be the smaller and less well-known schools that will be most vulnerable to closures”.