Top Kemi Badenoch ally says Tories were WRONG to expand free childcare

by · Mail Online

A top ally of new Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has claimed the previous Conservative government were wrong to expand free childcare to all under-fives.

Rachel Maclean, a former minister who was chair of Ms Badenoch's successful leadership campaign, said it was false to think the state 'can do all of it'.

The ex-MP, a grandmother and mother, also suggested there should more encouragement of parental 'responsibility'.

As part of efforts to get more parents back to work, former prime minister Rishi Sunak expanded free childcare for hundreds of thousands of working parents.

Under a phased implementation of the £4.1billion expansion of free nursery hours, eligible parents of two-year-olds got 15 hours of free childcare from April.

Parents of children aged nine months and older were entitled to 15 hours of free childcare from September. 

And all under-fives are set to get 30 hours of free childcare under a futher planned expansion from next September.

Tory former minister Rachel Maclean claimed the previous Conservative government were wrong to expand free childcare to all under-fives
As part of efforts to get more parents back to work, former prime minister Rishi Sunak expanded free childcare for hundreds of thousands of working parents
Ms Maclean, who was chair of Kemi Badenoch's successful leadership campaign, said it was false to think the state 'can do all of it'

But, speaking to the BBC's Politics Live programme this afternoon, Ms Maclean suggested the Tory policy did not send the right message to women.

'I actually don't think it was, I personally struggle with that a little bit,' the former MP for Redditch said.

'I think we should talk more about families and encouraging responsibility of families.'

Ms Maclean, who lost her seat in the House of Commons at July's general election, added: 'I've got four children and I've got two grandchildren now.

'So this is not an abstract thing for me and my family. Combining work with children is very hard but it's about the right way of doing it.

'I don't think the state can do all of it and I think we should empower women and parents and fathers as well to do more, as much as they possibly can.'

Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson, the party's education spokesperson, demanded Ms Badenoch 'clarify immediately' if she agreed with Ms Maclean's comments.

'Another Dark Ages perspective on childcare from a Conservative Party that is hopelessly out-of-touch with working families,' Ms Wilson said.

'Many parents are working flat-out to make ends meet - more now than ever thanks to the cost-of-living crisis that Rachel Maclean's Conservative colleagues helped cause.

'Families need more access to flexible, affordable childcare - not less.

'Kemi Badenoch must clarify immediately if she agrees with these comments. I look forward to her response.'