Anas Sarwar has rejected claims Labour’s plan to add VAT to school fees will lead to state schools becoming overrun with pupils whose parents can no longer afford to privately educate their children.

He also accused campaigners against the policy of “game playing” after reports aggrieved mums and dads in Edinburgh were signing up their children for the local comprehensives, even if they did not intend to take up the place.

The party believes the change could raise an extra £1.7bn for the Treasury, with £150m in consequentials coming to Scotland.

READ MORE: Anas Sarwar's old school criticises Labour plan to add vat to fees 

Polls suggest the plan is popular, with the most recent YouGov survey suggesting 55% of voters believe private schools should lose their tax exemptions.

But the push has infuriated parents who send their children to fee-paying establishments.

The situation is keenly felt in the capital, with between 25% - 30% of children being privately educated.

George Watson’s College in Edinburgh, the largest private school in Scotland, has already warned parents it will put fees up by 9% next year - from £15,951 ro £17,388 - to cope with “current and future financial pressures”.

The Scottish Council of Independent Schools believes that the introduction of VAT will shrink the fee-paying sector by 13% and could mean 1,000 pupils relying on the state.

A number of schools in Edinburgh are already near capacity.

READ MORE: Fact check: VAT on private school fees unlikely to increase state class sizes

Asked about the policy during Scottish Labour’s manifesto launch, Mr Sarwar pointed to falling teacher numbers and classroom violence as he said schools needed the money to be raised from the ending the tax break.

“You’ve got teachers in the middle of a cost of living crisis, having to spend their own money on resources. The number of pupils that need assistance support needs has gone through the roof and at the same time the number of ASN teachers has fallen under the SNP's watch.

“And that's why we think it's perfectly rational and fair to remove that VAT exemption of private schools. So we can give that immediate injection into our state schools.

“But one of the things that's often said is that parents have aspirations for their children and that's why they send them to private school.

“Actually, every single parent has aspiration for their children.

“Every child deserves a quality education and we think it's a fair step to take to remove those exemptions so we can put more money into our state schools and support young people across the country.”

Asked about parents registering their children at state schools even if they were not going to send them, Mr Sarwar said: “I think we need to be much more mature and grown up about that.

“I don't think we should play games in terms of trying to game the system.

“We've already made clear that the removal of the VAT exemption to private schools is the difficult choice we've had to make because we recognise we need an injection of money to go into our state schools to take on the harsh challenges.”

Lorraine Davidson, Chief Executive of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools disagreed. She said: “Far from easing the pressure on state schools, the VAT on fees plan will lead to significant additional pressure on the state system.

"It’s estimated 6,000 children in Scotland will have their education disrupted by being forced out of independent schools.

"Local authorities will require to fund extra places for these children, many of whom have additional support needs, class sizes will increase, and it some areas new schools may need to be built. An independent report by BiGGAR economics stated that the plan will cost the state money in Scotland.

"There are currently more than 100,000 people who don’t attend independent schools who benefit from them through the sharing of learning and facilities.

"We are keen to do more to partnership work and believe there is more to be gained for all pupils from working with the sector, rather than against it. "