Parents in limbo ‘as Labour holds back on childcare plan’

LABOUR’S failure to commit to keeping the Tories’ childcare expansion plans is stopping parents returning to work, the Education Secretary has claimed.

In a letter sent to senior Labour figures yesterday, Gillian Keegan said some parents had told her they were wary of taking jobs because of uncertainty over the future of childcare.

Labour has made clear it will keep the Government’s introduction of 15 hours of taxpayer-funded care for twoyear-olds in England. However, they have not committed to expanding that to nine-month-olds in September, or to increase the hours to 30 from September 2025. Sir Keir Starmer is awaiting the outcome of a review by Sir David Bell before confirming proposals.

Ms Keegan urged Labour to provide clarity in a letter to Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, and Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor.

She wrote: “I was very disappointed to hear Labour refuse to back our childcare expansion, instead saying our ‘hours model’ should be scrapped.

“Since this revelation, people have told me that they are now uncertain whether they should go back to work, grow their families, or take a promotion, because they don’t know if they will still have this childcare provision.”

A Labour spokesman previously said: “Labour has been clear: we will not take away entitlements.” That appears to protect changes already in place, such as new financial support for parents of two year-olds, but leaves a question mark over those due in the future.

A heated debate over the plans has been playing out for days, with the Tories seeking credit for the support kicking in and Labour questioning the plans. Labour has raised questions about whether the proposals will work, given the shortages of childcare workers in nurseries across the country.

Ms Phillipson said: “After 14 years of Tory failure, it will be Labour who get on with the job and finally deliver the much needed childcare for parents.”

Yesterday, Ms Keegan cited Education Department figures that showed 1.6million childcare places were available in England last year. But Labour claimed Ofsted’s figures were more accurate, which suggested the real figure was 1.25million. An Education Department source argued that the Government figures included schoolbased nurseries, unlike Ofsted’s.

Neil Leitch, of the Early Years Alliance, said that the entitlement expansion has shown that “promising more free childcare is meaningless if you’re not willing to invest in the infrastructure needed to deliver it”.