Tories would expand free childcare to high earners, Badenoch says
Kemi Badenoch says those earning more than £100,000 should not be discouraged from working more The Conservatives have unveiled a proposed £700m childcare giveaway for high earners
By The Guardian
Kemi Badenoch has said the Conservatives would remove the childcare “cliff edge” that cuts off support once a parent earns more than £100,000, in a move the party says would cost about £700m a year. The proposal was unveiled on the eve of Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.
Under the plan, families would continue to receive 30 hours of free childcare if both parents are working at least 16 hours a week, even if one parent’s income rises above the current threshold. Badenoch said the present system is “absurd” and argued that people should not be penalised for working more.
The policy would also extend to the party’s tax-free childcare scheme. The Conservatives said the change would be funded by cutting the number of public servants at arm’s-length bodies, although they said NHS bodies would not be included in those savings.
The announcement follows another tax pledge from Badenoch’s party to abolish most stamp duty, which would mainly benefit higher earners. The childcare plan has been presented as part of the Conservatives’ wider attempt to reshape tax policy ahead of their conference in Birmingham.
The current rule means families can lose access to free childcare once one parent’s earnings go above £100,000, even if the other parent is working. The Conservatives say their proposal would end that threshold entirely.