‘Labour – the party for ALL children and ALL families – in Leeds and at Westminster’: Alex Sobel.

This week has seen significant announcements by both main parties relevant to childcare and families.

In advance of the Tory Party Conference, David Cameron has said he will bring in tax relief for families in 2015.
By this what he means is tax relief for a Tory version of a family – in work, with one wage-earner, a stay-at-home parent, earning enough to benefit from tax-threshold changes. The gender of the working parent is not specified – but in practice this looks too like a return to the old Married Man’s Tax Allowance for comfort. In practice, too, it will likely put money into the hands of men, rather than directly into the hands of women and children.

‘Love is love, commitment is commitment’ says David Cameron
– for married couples with one earner on £40K, but not for married couples with each on £10K;
– except for two thirds…