- Kemi Badenoch, a Tory leader, and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson were involved in a heated Commons clash, with Mrs Badenoch labelling Ms Phillipson a “spiteful class warrior” during Prime Minister’s Questions.
- The dispute stemmed from Mrs Badenoch's criticism of Ms Phillipson's policy to tax private schools to fund state education, which Badenoch claimed had led to a reduction in teacher numbers.
- The confrontation escalated after PMQs in the division lobby, where Technology Secretary Liz Kendall intervened, and Mrs Badenoch reportedly told Ms Phillipson, “I’ll fight you all the way, you’re destroying children’s lives,” in reference to the VAT imposition on private schools.
- Ms Phillipson accused Mrs Badenoch of “losing her head” both during and after PMQs, and later stated on social media that Mrs Badenoch had previously compared her to a Gestapo officer.
- Ms Phillipson questioned why the Tories “hate so much” a working-class woman driving record investment in state schools by ending private schools’ tax breaks, highlighting the deep ideological divide.
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