The shadow education secretary, Angela Rayner, has pledged to spend £5.6bn on a new national education service modelled to have the same “transformative” impact on schools as the introduction of the NHS had on healthcare.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Rayner insisted the plan was fully costed and would be paid for by an increase in corporation tax, which would benefit businesses in the long run.

She said: “Our plan, which is a really exciting plan, is the national education service, and it is deliberately mirrored to the National Health Service, because I believe that our education service will be transformative like the health service.”



Borrowing a core principle of the NHS, Labour’s plan offers adult education that will be free at the point of use.

Rayner said: “Not only will schools have the money they need to ensure that every child reaches their full potential, but adult education will be free at the point of use so that people can go back into education. So if you want to be a nurse in our health service we will be able to train you to that again, free at the point of use.”

Rayner confirmed that businesses would pay for the plan, which would cost £5.6bn by the end of the parliament.

She said: “We will raise corporation tax. We will make sure small businesses are protected, but that businesses will get the skills that they require from British workers when they are trained properly.”

Rayner claimed that after the proposed tax increase, the UK would still have the lowest corporation tax rate of the G7 nations.

She said: “So it is a responsible way of paying for our public services, and making sure that British workers and British children get the education and the opportunities to work in skilled manufacturing industries of the future, and that will help British businesses.”



Appearing later on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Rayner refused to be drawn on whether the plan would include abolishing university tuition fees. She said: “We will get to that point another time. Watch this space.”

Rayner was also asked to clear up Labour’s position on Brexit, after Jeremy Corbyn refused to confirm that the UK would be leaving the EU in a BBC interview.

Rayner said: “We are coming out of Europe, that’s it. In all of my conversations with Jeremy in the shadow cabinet [it] is that we are coming out of Europe, but it’s about what type of deal we get coming out of Europe.”

She added: “I want to protect jobs in my constituency up and down the country that feel left behind. We want a Brexit that works for everyone in the UK. The working class of the UK feel left behind. I’m listening to them and want to invest in their young people, their children. I want to make sure Brexit works for them.”

