Labour Faces 'Hypocrisy' Accusations Over Private School VAT and Overseas Promotion
The Labour government has been accused of stark hypocrisy for actively promoting British private school expansion overseas while simultaneously imposing a 20% VAT charge on their fees within the United Kingdom. This contradiction has sparked significant political controversy, with critics highlighting what they describe as a deeply inconsistent approach to education policy.
International Strategy Praises Overseas Expansion
Last week, the government unveiled its new International Strategy, which explicitly praised British private schools and outlined plans to encourage their expansion abroad. The strategy document argued that such moves would enhance Britain's soft power globally by strengthening alliances, building trust, and enhancing the UK's reputation on the world stage.
The strategy specifically highlighted Charterhouse in Surrey as a prime example of this approach. The prestigious institution opened a sister campus in Lagos, Nigeria, in 2024, becoming the first British school to establish such a presence in the country. Government documents described the project as one that exemplifies the global potential of British independent schools and serves as a model for future UK school partnerships abroad.
Remarkably, the strategy even boasted that the Department for Business and Trade played a pivotal role in enabling the Charterhouse Lagos project to proceed. It further positioned British education as a strategic asset that the government wants to showcase internationally to help drive education exports to an ambitious target of £40 billion annually.
Domestic VAT Policy Damages School Viability
This enthusiastic promotion of private schools abroad stands in stark contrast to Labour's domestic education policy. Since January of last year, the government has imposed a 20% VAT charge on private school fees, a move that has seriously damaged the economic viability of many institutions across the UK.
The policy, championed by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, was implemented with the stated aim of making private school parents contribute more to fund the state education sector. However, the consequences have been significant and damaging, with reports indicating that some smaller schools have been forced to close entirely as parents withdraw their children due to increased costs.
Political Backlash and Accusations
Saqib Bhatti, the Conservative shadow education minister, delivered a scathing critique of what he termed Labour's total hypocrisy. He told The Times: The Government is talking up the soft power it gets from independent schools like Charterhouse at the same time as slapping them with its disastrous schools tax.
The International Strategy was published jointly by the Department for Education and two other government departments, following Phillipson's consistent insistence that private school parents must pay VAT to support state sector funding. This contradiction has not gone unnoticed within the education sector itself.
Growing Nigerian Presence Raises Questions
At least three other UK private schools have either opened or are planning to open campuses in Nigeria, adding to existing international outposts that are predominantly located across Asia. Charterhouse Lagos charges approximately half the annual fee of its UK counterpart, with boarding at the Surrey school costing over £60,000 per year.
The Nigerian campus opened its primary section in autumn 2024 and its secondary section in September 2025, eventually aiming to cater for about 1,500 pupils. A school spokesman explained that many Nigerian parents specifically seek an education that provides access to the world's best universities, noting: Nigeria places a high value on the excellence of a British education. Charterhouse has always welcomed many wonderful students from Nigeria.
However, these overseas endeavours have raised significant ethical questions, particularly regarding how schools will maintain their inclusive values in countries like Nigeria where homosexuality remains illegal. When questioned about this issue, the Charterhouse spokesman responded: Charterhouse Lagos seeks to develop in its students the open-mindedness that will lead to a kind and understanding global society, while, obviously, operating within the Nigerian legal framework.
Sector Leaders Express Frustration
Gareth Parker-Jones, head of Rugby School in Warwickshire which opened a school near Lagos last year, expressed profound frustration with the government's approach. In a letter to The Times, he wrote: The farcical compartmentalising of education policy would be comical were not the consequences so significant. The Government is comfortable promoting the excellence of our independent schools and universities internationally while simultaneously imposing taxes on independent education in the UK.
He continued with a pointed suggestion: Given the Government's proclivity for U-turns, perhaps it will now admit that taxing education has been damaging for a sector it now seeks to promote overseas, abolish VAT on fees and recognise that the independent sector is an integral part of building a world-class education system here in the UK.
Wellington College in Berkshire has also confirmed plans to establish a school in Nigeria next year, indicating the growing trend of British private education expanding into African markets.
Government Defends Its Position
A spokesperson for the Department for Education offered a robust defence of the government's seemingly contradictory policies. They stated: We are backing all UK education providers, including independent schools, to meet growing global demand for British education overseas – strengthening businesses at home, supporting jobs and spreading world-class standards internationally.
The spokesperson added: But growth overseas must go hand in hand with a fair tax system at home, which is why we have ended tax breaks for private schools to support the 94 per cent of children educated in state schools. This approach drives growth, while staying true to our mission to break down barriers to opportunity and ensure every child gets the best start in life.
This defence has done little to quell the mounting criticism from political opponents and education sector leaders who continue to highlight what they see as an unsustainable and hypocritical position that damages British education both at home and abroad.
