Latest news with #classwar
Daily Mail
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Fresh bias row as private pupils are charged more than state schools to see Shakespeare plays
The Royal Shakespeare Company has been accused of discrimination and 'feeding into a national class war' by charging private school pupils more than state schoolchildren for theatre visits. Groups of state schoolchildren watching performances by the globally famous company are charged £10 a head, while their private school counterparts are charged a staggering £16.50. The National Theatre in London also charges private schoolchildren more than state pupils – £12 a head compared to £10. Last night, campaigners from the Education not Taxation (ENT) pressure group, which represents private school parents nationwide, said the 'two-tier pricing blatantly discriminates against independent school children'. Urging the Charity Commission to investigate, an ENT spokesman said: 'Raising the prices for independent school children feeds into a national class war and can deny children access to rites of passage we should all encourage, such as watching Shakespeare plays. 'Their apparent attempts at social justice show no understanding of the nuanced education landscape, which includes wealthy state schools and poor independent schools.' A Mail on Sunday investigation has also discovered that a prestigious national engineering competition for schools barred private schools from taking part just two years ago. The Big Bang Programme, run by Engineering UK, ruled private schoolchildren as ineligible from taking part in its nationwide competition. More than half a million schoolchildren from over 1,000 schools attend Royal Shakespeare Company performances every year. And yet it is believed the company quietly shelved its one price for all under-18 schoolchildren of £12.50, lowering prices for state schools and dramatically increasing them for private schools. Richard Jones, head of Dorset's Bryanston School, which is famous for performing arts, said: 'The theatres' premium for independent school children isn't inclusion, it's discrimination. 'The arts are meant to unite audiences, not divide children through where they go to school.' The RSC said 'prices for private schools are at a slightly higher rate due to the differences in budgets that are available between state-maintained schools and schools in the independent sector'. The National Theatre said its prices were set on 'a long-standing pricing structure which has been in place for many years'. And Engineering UK said it did not consider private schoolchildren to be among the 'under-represented groups in engineering' it aimed to inspire.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Angela Rayner accused of waging 'class war' over her plans to cut funding for wealthier Southern areas so more can be spent in the North
Labour was yesterday accused of declaring 'class war' over plans to cut funding for town halls in the South and splurge it in its northern heartlands. Under Angela Rayner 's shake-up, wealthier southern households face a raft of raids to help pay for the giveaway in Labour's traditional working-class areas. These include hikes in council tax bills and fees, such as parking, planning and licensing charges. Town halls in the South also face having to cut existing services because of the raid on their coffers. Under the plans, unveiled yesterday, town halls with 'stronger council tax bases', which tend to be in wealthier parts of London and the Home Counties, will get less Government cash. Those with 'weaker bases', often in the North, will get more under the 'progressive' redistribution model. The Deputy Prime Minister Ms Rayner, who is also the local government secretary, has long argued that an overhaul of council funding is needed. Ms Rayner, the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, has pointed to people living in the North who pay hundreds of pounds more in council tax than those in wealthier southern areas, calling it 'unfair'. But the plans, which affect councils in England and would begin for three years from next April, sparked a furious backlash. Greg Smith, the Tory MP for Mid Buckinghamshire, said: 'We're already massively over-taxed and council tax has already blown out of all proportion across the country. 'Anything that takes from the South to pay for the North is class war.' And Kevin Hollinrake, the Tories' local government spokesman, said: 'In reality, Labour's appetite for tax hikes knows no bounds. These new backdoor rises in fees and charges are nothing more than stealth taxes – punishing the very councils that have kept taxes low and responsible.' The new proposed formula for allocating money would take into account local needs, based on population, poverty and age data. This will lead to more cash going to deprived areas. And Government grants, which account for about half of councils' income, will now be based on calculations of what local authorities could raise if all areas charged the same rates of council tax based on their housing mix. This will mean steep falls in grant income for wealthier councils. Vikki Slade, the Lib Dems' local government spokesman, said: 'It would be a big mistake for the Government to force councils into unfair council tax rises. 'At a time when councils desperately need support, it beggars belief that Angela Rayner is considering reducing funding entitlements for many, including councils which already receive very little grant funding.' But ministers insist councils won't go bust as it would be phased in over three years, removing a potential 'cliff edge' if the redistribution happened in one go. They also say it will not lead to huge council tax hikes because these are already capped at 5 per cent, and most councils already raise it by this amount every year. However, they could apply to Ms Rayner, who is from Stockport, for special permission to raise it by more than this given the unprecedented pressure their finances could come under. They are also likely to look at cutting back on existing services and hiking other fees to help balance the books. It raises the prospect of councils being handed more powers to raise revenues by hiking such fees. Yesterday's new consultation, which will run until August 15, said ministers will now 'review all fees previously identified and consider where there is the strongest case for reform'. Kate Ogden, a senior research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said councils in 'leafier suburban and rural areas' in the South will be among the biggest losers. Local government minister Jim McMahon said: 'There's broad agreement across council leaders, experts, and parliamentarians that the current funding model is broken and unfair. 'This Government is stepping up to deliver the fairer system promised in the 2017 Fair Funding Review but never delivered.'
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Starmer's waging war against his own social class - and there's much more punishment to come: STEPHEN GLOVER
Shortly before he died in 2015, former Labour Chancellor Denis Healey declared that the 'class war is over'. He added that 'in my time it was the dominant element in politics, but now nobody gives a b***ery'. Healey hadn't bargained for Sir Keir Starmer, who had just been elected an MP. Nor had he factored in Angela Rayner, then also new to the Commons, and about to join forces with hard Left .
Daily Mail
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Keir Starmer plots equality law 'to penalise middle class and privately educated', Tories claim
Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to put 'class war' on the statute book by introducing an equality law which will discriminate against the middle classes and privately educated, the Tories claim. A consultation document published by Equalities Minister Bridget Phillipson reveals that the Office for Equality and Opportunity is seeking evidence on how to 'commence the socio-economic duty in the Equality Act 2010'. This requires public authorities to give 'due regard' to disparities of income and socio-economic status when making decisions. Tories argue this will lead to more cases like that highlighted in last week's The Mail on Sunday, revealing a mother's fury at 'shocking discrimination' by the NHS, denying her son vital treatment because he goes to a west London private school. The Government has already introduced a punishing 20 per cent VAT hike on private school fees. The Equality Act was pushed through by the last Labour Government but the crucial section on socio-economic duty was vetoed by the Tories when they took power after the 2010 election. Labour pledged in its 2024 manifesto to revive the provision to extend equality laws covering race, age, gender, disability and sexuality to include 'the inequality of social class'. It would entitle public bodies to make spending decisions that penalise middle class areas by diverting funds and opportunities to those deemed less privileged. It has raised the prospect of fewer bin collections, library closures and council tax hikes in richer areas. The Office for Equality and Opportunity paper reads: 'The socio-economic duty requires specified public authorities, when making strategic decisions such as deciding priorities and objectives, to give due regard to how their decisions might help to reduce inequalities associated with socio-economic disadvantage.' A Tory source said: 'In independent education, children will be permanently discriminated against by the wider policy of using socio-economic background to allocate public services, as their choice of school will be used against them by state bodies long into the future.' Shadow Education Secretary Neil O'Brien said: 'Labour's class war law will divide middle England and punish families who work hard and aren't on benefits. 'By enshrining woke identity politics in law, children will be discriminated against based on their postcode and their parents' occupation. 'Families will be marked down when children apply for school or university and face worse public services if they dare to send their children to independent schools. It will create a chilling culture in the public sector that will divide society and undermine equality of opportunity.' But a Labour source said: 'This is more desperate stuff from a Tory party sliding into irrelevance. It's more than a bit rich for the Conservatives to complain about socio- economic duty when Tory councils across the country have voluntarily applied it. 'Tories used to care about levelling up the neglected parts of this country and their public services that the socio-economic duty is designed to improve – they have nothing to offer.'
Daily Mail
08-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
STEPHEN POLLARD: Labour's created an atmosphere where the hard working middle class are now fair game for bigotry
That an eight-year-old can be refused healthcare on the NHS because of the school he attends is deeply troubling. It shows that the service once described by Margaret Thatcher 's Chancellor Nigel Lawson as 'the closest thing the English people have to a religion,' has become a battleground for class war where children seeking treatment are seen as the enemy of the proletariat. That includes my children. I am lucky enough to be able to pay for them to attend private schools. I pay the fees on top of my taxes, of course. Now it seems the NHS regards my kids as non-citizens to be shunned.
