- Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has proposed scrapping the £100,000 salary cap on funded childcare, allowing any parent working at least 16 hours a week to qualify for 30 hours of free care weekly.
- Under current rules, the entire 30-hour entitlement is withdrawn if a single parent's earnings exceed £100,000, a threshold Badenoch described as an absurd cliff edge that penalises parents for accepting promotions or working more hours.
- The Conservatives estimate the policy will cost £700m annually, which they plan to fund by reducing civil service headcount in arm's-length public bodies such as Arts Council England and the Environment Agency, whilst exempting NHS organisations.
- Badenoch emphasised that the present system disproportionately impacts women who frequently carry more childcare responsibilities, arguing that career barriers for women ultimately harm both families and the broader economy.
- A Labour Party spokesperson criticised the proposal, stating that the Conservatives are prioritizing policies aimed at higher earners while attempting to unpick threshold rules that they had originally introduced.
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