UK PM Rishi Sunak is facing friction from Tory MPs and the public over his plans of making major changes to the childcare system in England. Here’s everything you need to know.
Rishi Sunak plans to make major changes to the education system
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing dissent following his plans of shelving an overhaul of the childcare system. Senior Tori MPs are warming him the need to prioritize childcare reforms as it is expensive for parents. As per reports, Sunak is likely to shift the scale and is expected to make smaller changes.
Sunak’s predecessor Liz Truss came up with the childcare system. The plan included rising free childcare by 20 hours every week. Additionally, she also relaxed limits on the staff-to-child ratio. Thus, also removing the limit on the number of children under an adult’s care. Therefore, all three and four-year-olds get up to 15 hours of free childcare every week during term time. However, some families can claim as many as 30 hours.
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Currently, the cost of childcare is the second highest in developed nations. Truss made promises of reforms to considerably reduce them. Prominent Tory leaders are lashing out and asking the PM to “knock [it] on the head quickly”. As per Robin Walker, “A serious set of policies was needed on the issue”. Walker is the chairman of the Commons education committee. However, sources close to Truss reportedly urged Sunak to withhold from scaping the reforms. However, officials at 10, Downing Streed denied claims of PM shelving the reforms.
“Childcare is hugely and unnecessarily expensive in England and we should do all we can to support working mums,” stated Simon Clarke. Clarke is a former leveling-up secretary. “Liz Truss rightly wanted to be bold on childcare and while I’m personally not convinced that changing ratios and just expanding existing schemes is the right approach, the message should be that decent reform is still coming,” tweeted Siobhan Baillie. Baillie, a Tory MP for Stroud emphasizing Clarke’s view stated, “parents, childcare providers and employers need the complex and expensive childcare system reformed”.