The Conservatives are Fighting a Losing Battle on Private School Tax Exemptions
Private school funding is back on the political agenda. As Labour outlined plans to scrap their favourable tax status, Conservatives have rushed to the defence of private schools. All the while jeered on by media headlines of "class warfare". The issue for those supporting the Conservatives, is that this doesn't look like a battle they can win.
Whilst public opinion supports the continued existence of private schools, it overwhelmingly opposes their charitable status. YouGov's tracker on the issue demonstrates this. Since June 2019, those saying Private Schools should remove both charitable status and tax exemptions has had a lead of over 15% on the next most supported option - which itself is only an acceptance of the fact they can keep them "if they do more to help state schools". The number unconditionally supporting tax exemptions sits at just 10%.
More Recent polling from Redfield & Wilton only serves to highlight this. Even with "don't know" included, 52% of respondents said that they opposed private school's retaining charitable status and tax exemption. Even 2019 Conservative voters are evenly split.
Surprisingly, in the same Redfield poll, net support for private school exemptions decreases when the proviso "if they provide a certain amount of financial support or bursaries for children from under-privileged backgrounds?" is attached. This should lend some scepticism to this set of results, especially when YouGov's tracker seems to suggest similar conditions are at least somewhat preferred by voters. Though it could also simply suggest the persistence of public opposition to private schools. Of course, this is just one poll, though when taken with broader evidence, the picture is pretty clear.
It's worth noting that a popular policy isn't necessarily a vote winner. Jeremy Corbyn had a host of popular policies, and we all know how that ended. The salience of the economy means people probably won't base their votes on private schools specifically, so the Conservatives might not lose out from it.
That being said, a protracted focus on the issue would likely only increase its relevance and could push more voters away from the Conservatives. It doesn't seem a risk worth taking when it's not even something likely to bring 2019 Conservatives back on board. With the party down over 20 points in the polls, the person who will be most pleased to see them come out to bat for private schools is Keir Starmer.
