Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh has been accused of "classic champagne socialism" after admitting she sends all three of her children to private school. The 46-year-old Peckham MP, a rising star on Labour's Left who serves as Net Zero secretary in Andy Burnham's first Cabinet, admitted the decision on Saturday when presented with findings from The Mail on Sunday.
Ms Fahnbulleh declined to give details of how much she spends on her children's education. Sources estimated she must spend at least £50,000 a year for the privilege. Her husband is a successful City trader and hedge-fund founder, and the couple lives in a £1.3million home in south-east London.
Within striking distance of their home are some of the best private schools in the country, including £27,000-a-year Colfe's School, which boasts a swimming pool, two gyms and a theatre. Another local option is £30,000-a-year St Dunstan's, where pupils can enjoy 23 acres of playing fields.
Private school VAT policy
Critics pointed out that in 2024, Ms Fahnbulleh hailed the new Labour Government's decision to remove the exemption of VAT from private school fees, despite warnings it would force some smaller schools to close. The policy was blamed for making private education unaffordable for thousands of other parents.
Now it emerges 30,000 children have been forced from their independent schools since the policy's introduction, double the Government's estimate. Critics of the policy say the tax hike simply forced independent schools to increase their fees, pricing out the middle classes and leaving them as the preserves of the very wealthy.
Political backlash and background
Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake accused Ms Fahnbulleh of "classic champagne socialism" over the revelation. "Parents who are now unable to afford to send their kids to private school will no doubt feel aggrieved over this hypocrisy," he said.
Ms Fahnbulleh was educated at Beechwood Sacred Heart school in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, where boarders pay £45,000 a year. As The Mail on Sunday revealed last month, she was among a group of Labour MPs who made no mention of their independent schooling in their Who's Who entries.
