In a bid to reduce spending commitments ahead of the next general election, the party is now considering a means-tested offer rather than universal free childcare

According to the Guardian, Labour has now ruled out delivering free childcare for children over nine months. The sources stated that the move comes as the party aims to boost its fiscal credibility.

Earlier this year, the shadow education secretary. Bridget Phillips stated that Labour would guarantee childcare from the end of parental leave until the end of primary school, saying her reforms would mirror the “birth of the NHS.

The means-tested offer will apparently focus on supporting families on low incomes and cut off those on higher incomes.

A labour spokesperson stated to the Guardian that:

An expansion of childcare to all children is not Labour’s policy. Last year Labour announced that as part of its plans to modernise childcare that we will deliver free breakfast clubs for all primary school pupils in England, paid for by closing the non-dom tax loophole, and allowing councils to offer more childcare provision where they are able to do so.

“Everything in our manifesto will be fully costed, fully funded, and subject to our fiscal rules.”

Commenting, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said: 

“It’s clear that the current approach of making grand promises of more and more free childcare without fully considering the funding needed to make them viable – something that parties from across the political spectrum have been guilty of – simply isn’t working.

“Instead, we’ve been left with a broken system where parents are faced with soaring prices, settings are struggling to keep their doors open and early years professionals are leaving in their droves.

“We fully support the principal of universal early years provision but have also always argued that if this is not possible, investment should be targeted at the families most in need of support, whose children research has shown will benefit the most from access to a high-quality early education.

“Of course, the devil is, as always, in the detail. How exactly would means-testing work in practice? What steps would be taken to prevent this creating an additional workload burden on providers? And at what level would any subsidised hours be funded?

“Ultimately, whoever is in government after the next election, what the early years needs is a clear and comprehensive strategy, underpinned by adequate investment and with the needs of the child at its centre. The sector is unlikely to survive anything less.”