Labour is “absolutely not” engaged in a class war, the prime minister has said.
Sir Keir Starmer was asked by Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby if the changes to inheritance tax and putting VAT on private school fees show the new government is looking to wage a “class war” on wealthier people.
The prime minister said he is “absolutely not” taking part in such action.
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He was asked about his position as thousands of farmers protested in Westminster over the changes to inheritance tax – which Sir Keir said will only impact a “typical” case with estates worth more than £3m.
Labour reintroduced inheritance tax on agricultural properties in its budget this year, with farmers able to pass down land and assets tariff-free since the early 1990s.
Sir Keir said such measures are necessary to raise the funds for housing, schools and other public services that are needed across the UK – including in rural communities.
And he said VAT on private schools will help pay for teachers and resources in state education.
Rather than a class war, Sir Keir said his government is taking a “balanced approach” to “fill a black hole” in the public finances.
He also reiterated inheritance tax on farms is still only 20% and payable over 10 years.
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On schools, Sir Keir said: “I do know that people watching this will save hard to send their child to a private school because they think that’s the best thing for their child.
“But every single parent wants opportunity and aspiration for their child and up until now, we haven’t had the right number of teachers in basic subjects like maths, etc in our state secondary schools. I’m not prepared to tolerate that for our state schools.”
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