Labour's shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has vowed to overhaul the childcare system in England if the party wins the next general election. Speaking at a Tory-linked think tank, she described current costs as 'extortionate' and said they were 'pricing parents out of jobs they love'. Labour aims to position itself as the 'party of the family' ahead of the widely expected 2024 election.
Phillipson criticised the existing 'free hours' system as 'broken' and 'complex and confused'. She rejected the government's approach of expanding subsidised childcare, arguing that 'simply bolting more hours onto a failing system will not tackle the problem of availability and affordability'. Labour's proposed 'modern' system would provide support from the end of parental leave until children leave primary school at age 11.
Policy details are still being developed, but Phillipson indicated that childcare would be a 'central' issue at the next election. She has visited Estonia and Australia for inspiration and is also examining models in Singapore and Ireland. Labour does not plan to reintroduce Sure Start centres, which Phillipson said had been too easy for Conservative governments to dismantle.
The announcement comes as a report by charity Coram found the average annual cost of a full-time nursery place for a child under two in Great Britain is now £14,836. The UK is among the most expensive countries for childcare in the world, according to the OECD. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is reportedly planning to expand subsidised childcare in the upcoming Budget, but Phillipson said Labour rejects that approach.
