Labour: We might ditch Tories’ free childcare expansion
LABOUR was last night accused of pulling the rug out from under working families as the party refused to commit to keeping the expansion of the free childcare scheme.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said Sir Keir Starmer would cost families ‘thousands of pounds in free childcare’ as his party ‘don’t have a plan’.
From September 2025, all children from nine months to school-age from working families will get 30 hours of free childcare, and from this September they will get 15 hours.
But Bridget Phillipson, Labour’s shadow education spokesman, would not commit to keeping the £4billion expansion. She said the current system is a ‘total mess’ and will not be able to provide the extra places – and risks ‘crashing the childcare system’.
She told BBC’s Newsnight: ‘This is Liz Truss all over again. They’ve got no plan about how they make it happen.
‘I think they risk crashing the childcare system just as they crashed the economy under Liz Truss. We’ve heard from providers that they are just going to really struggle to make this happen.
‘And what we hear from parents across the country is that when they go and try to access these entitlements, these commitments the Conservatives have made, the places just aren’t there.’
However, Ms Keegan said Labour have ‘confirmed they will pull the rug out from under working families and cost families thousands of pounds in free childcare. Labour don’t have a plan, that will mean tens of thousands of families could face £6,500 in additional costs for childcare.
‘ Labour need to urgently answer why they don’t back hardworking families.’
One Tory aide even accused Sir Keir of being a ‘ childcare snatcher’. Children’s Minister David Johnston warned free childcare hours for working parents would be ‘at risk’ if the party wins the next election.
He told the Daily Mail the scheme could be ‘scrapped’ if the government changes.
The minister was speaking as he announced the next phase of the childcare roll- out, with applications for 15 free hours for ninemonth-olds opening on May 12.
Mr Johnston told the Mail: ‘I think parents should be very worried about the fact that Labour has absolutely no plan for childcare.’ He said Ms Phillipson ‘has absolutely no idea’ despite criticising the current scheme.
‘She says the hours model has failed. So does that mean the hundreds of thousands of families that benefit from these entitlements from this Conservative Government would see them all scrapped under a Labour government? She can’t answer that.’
Labour said the comments were ‘utter nonsense’, and insisted it will ‘not take away families’ entitlements’ as the party wants ‘childcare to be affordable, accessible and available’.
‘Parents should be worried’