Labour accuses Government of having a ‘childcare pledge without a plan’

Labour has accused the Conservatives of having a “childcare pledge without a plan”, as it said families are still struggling to access places ahead of the Government’s expansion of funded childcare.

The party pointed to an analysis of Ofsted data that suggests the number of childcare places fell by more than 1,000 between March and December last year, ahead of an anticipated increase in demand for places.

Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, is calling on the Chancellor to guarantee that eligible parents will not lose out