Bridget Phillipson Labour Member of Parliament for Houghton and Sunderland South

We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. Families are being squeezed more than ever before, with hundreds being forced to make cutbacks.
Soaring prices are also affecting our children’s opportunities and their development.
Nationally, the average family is spending more on afterschool clubs than on their weekly food shop.
This is holding families back, and forcing parents, especially mams, to work fewer hours or stop working because they can’t afford childcare.
It also denies children opportunities which boost their learning and should be part of giving every child a happy and healthy childhood.
As Shadow Education Secretary, I hear from parents across the country who are pleading with the Government to prioritise children’s wellbeing and tackle these soaring prices so all our children can enjoy attending activities and clubs, and spending time with their friends.
But right now, the Government is leaving families to struggle with steeply rising prices and leaving children at risk of missing out.
After the chaos and disruption that children endured during the pandemic, spending months away from their friends, the Government’s neglect risks failing a generation.
Labour’s plan would deliver breakfast clubs and afterschool activities for every child to boost their development, and their time with friends and to support parents who are really struggling to give their children the opportunities during this cost of living crisis.
But the Conservatives are sitting on their hands, without a plan to support children’s recovery or their futures.
Our children deserve better than an Education Secretary who won’t even show up to talk about their futures.
I want every child, in every school, in every corner of this country to benefit from a brilliant education, supported by a government that is ambitious for all their futures.
That’s what Labour’s plans would be delivering for all our children.