Families who send their children to private school should be thanked for “acting in the public interest” and saving taxpayers’ cash, according to a Tory former minister.

Sir Christopher Chope also urged the Government to show the same level of enthusiasm for the sector as education minister Nick Gibb.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Gibb said: “Independent schools, including those in (Sir Christopher’s) constituency, are an important part of our school system in giving parents choice.

“Independent schools drive innovation, they support social mobility through bursaries and they attract significant international investment.”

Mr Gibb said the “diverse” independent school sector includes those that serve “small faith communities and that create special school capacity”.

Sir Christopher, MP for Christchurch, said: “Can he ensure that other members of the Government show similar enthusiasm for the work and achievements of the independent schooling sector?

“And will he also take this opportunity of thanking all those families who make significant financial sacrifices in order to pay the fees for those schools, and thank for them for actually acting in the public interest and saving the taxpayers quite a lot of money?”

Mr Gibb noted: “I’m very happy to do that” before pointing to means-tested assistance and bursaries for some pupils who attend independent schools.

Private schools charge fees to attend instead of being funded by the Government.