Bridget Phillipson, the Labour Education Minister, has once again launched herself onto the social media stage with a tweet so embarrassing, so tone-deaf, that one wonders whether it was drafted in the midst of some grumbling late-night envy fest.
“Our state schools need teachers more than private schools need embossed stationery. Our children need mental health support more than private schools need new pools. Our students need careers advice more than private schools need AstroTurf pitches,” she writes, with all the grace, nuance and jealousy of a teenager sulking over a friend’s flashy new trainers.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just a bit of misplaced rhetoric—it’s a scandalous piece of gutter politics. It’s a perfect encapsulation of Labour’s tiresome obsession with class warfare, a ‘them and us’ mentality rooted in envy and ignorance.
It’s a perfect encapsulation of Labour’s tiresome obsession with class warfare, a ‘them and us’ mentality rooted in envy and ignorance.
Ms Phillipson is promoting pure envy politics, and she’s doing it with a reckless disregard for the consequences. Has she forgotten, or is she simply unaware, that many private schools routinely open their doors to state schools, allowing them to share facilities, from science labs to sports fields? It’s not as if private schools are locked away in ivory towers, gleefully sipping champagne while state schools crumble. Private schools save the state money and there is collaboration, but why let facts get in the way of a good old Labour grievance-fuelled tweet?
But here’s the real kicker. By indulging in this divisive rhetoric, Bridget Phillipson has not only attacked private schools, but she’s also taken an indirect swipe at 600,000 children who attend those schools. These are children who’ve done nothing wrong except attend schools their parents have chosen for them. Why? Because they want the best possible education for their kids, just like any parent would. Is that a sin? Or is it only a sin in the twisted logic of a Labour Education Minister with a chip on her shoulder the size of a whole sack of potatoes?
And speaking of chips on shoulders, this tweet reeks of personal vendetta. One can’t help but wonder if this is Bridget Phillipson’s way of exacting some sort of revenge for her own personal slights. I mean, come on, is this all because she was rejected by Cheltenham Ladies’ College? Is this really what fuels her? If so, how incredibly sad. Instead of working to lift up the state system, she’s throwing verbal Molotov cocktails at the private sector, all while stoking class envy.
Instead of working to lift up the state system, she’s throwing verbal Molotov cocktails at the private sector, all while stoking class envy.
Now, let’s talk hypocrisy, shall we? While Ms Phillipson is busy railing against the private sector, she’s also more than happy to enjoy the perks of the very privilege she criticises. She was happy enough to accept freebie Taylor Swift tickets, wasn’t she? Not to mention donations and a lavish 40th birthday party paid for by Lord Alli. You couldn’t make it up. The very epitome of Labour’s ‘do as I say, not as I do’ brigade. A Minister for Education who can’t seem to grasp the concept of integrity, all while flailing around on social media to score cheap political points.
And what about Labour’s broader education policy? It’s all cut from the same cloth, a mishmash of envy-fuelled initiatives aimed at dragging others down rather than lifting people up. They want to hammer private schools with VAT, squeeze the life out of aspiration, and create a society where mediocrity is the ceiling. Labour can’t stand the idea of success. They can’t bear the thought that someone, somewhere, might be doing better than someone else. So they resort to this, attacking children, stoking division, and peddling the politics of resentment.
Bridget Phillipson’s tweet is a glaring reminder of just how unfit she and her Labour colleagues are to lead. They’re not interested in solutions; they’re interested in scapegoats. And when the scapegoats run out, they’ll move onto the next group, all while wallowing in the very privileges they claim to despise.
Envy is a sin, Bridget. And the saddest part of all? Your tweet has done nothing but steal opportunity, dignity, and even friendships from the very children you claim to care about. Labour isn’t fit to lead this country, and you’ve just proved why.
Claire Bullivant, Editor
Claire is the founder and editor of the Conservative Post and was a co-founder of the Conservative Democratic Organisation. Claire is now setting up www.GreatBritishPAC.com. Pre-register today.
