# Burnham’s left-wing Net Zero secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh accused of ‘classic champagne socialism’ after it emerges she sends ALL of her children to private school

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/burnhams-left-wing-net-zero-secretary-miatta-fahnbulleh-accused-of-classic-champagne-socialism-after-it-emerges-she-sends-all-of-her-children-to-private-school/
- Published: 2026-08-08T21:04:47+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-24T16:46:33+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16038907/Burnhams-Net-Zero-secretary-Miatta-Fahnbulleh-accused-classic-champagne-socialism-children-private-school.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Energy Secretary Fahnbulleh privately educates her children despite backing VAT on school fees
- Critics, including a Tory chairman, call it "champagne socialism"
- Around 30,000 pupils have reportedly left private schools since the VAT policy began

## Summary

Miatta Fahnbulleh, the Labour MP for Peckham and newly appointed Energy Secretary under Andy Burnham, has been accused of hypocrisy after The Mail on Sunday revealed she sends all three of her children to private schools, despite having championed the government's decision to impose VAT on independent school fees. The disclosure has drawn criticism given the policy has been blamed for driving up costs and pushing thousands of pupils out of private education, prompting Conservative party chairman Kevin Hollinrake to accuse her of "classic champagne socialism."

Fahnbulleh, 46, confirmed she uses private schooling when confronted by the newspaper but would not disclose how much she spends, with sources estimating it at upwards of £50,000 a year; her husband is a City trader and hedge-fund founder. The family lives near several elite schools, including Colfe's School (£27,000 a year) and St Dunstan's (£30,000 a year). The report notes that around 30,000 children have left independent schools since the VAT policy was introduced, roughly double the government's original estimate, and that Fahnbulleh herself attended a private boarding school without mentioning it in her published biography.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.