Childcare

Tory backbenchers plan to put pressure on Hunt to cut childcare costs

Exclusive: Group led by Siobhan Baillie want chancellor to use budget to relax rules and eliminate business rates for nurseries

Kiran Stacey Political correspondent

03, Feb, 2023 @6:00 AM

Children ‘arriving hungry’ as nurseries in England plead with ministers for extra funds

Survey finds rising number of childcare providers forced to turn to food charities to help provide nutritious meals

Michael Savage Policy editor

29, Jan, 2023 @9:00 AM

The Observer view on how the UK has become a hostile place to have children | Observer editorial

Parents are being forced to bring up their offspring in conditions that will have grave repercussions for society

Observer editorial

15, Jan, 2023 @6:00 AM

Pay in cash – and haggle hard: 15 ways to save money this winter

There are no easy answers to the cost of living crisis. But if you haven’t checked your benefits or changed your lightbulbs, it might still be possible to make life a little more tolerable

Patrick Collinson

09, Jan, 2023 @3:34 PM

Childcare is important but quality and quantity decide who benefits most | Torsten Bell

Research shows both long-term gains for children who attend preschool and women who need support to take up jobs

Torsten Bell

08, Jan, 2023 @9:30 AM

No 10 says NHS is getting ‘funding it needs’ and refuses to accept service is ‘in crisis’ – as it happened

Downing Street says NHS is receiving funding it needs despite Royal College of Emergency Medicine saying ministers are in denial

Andrew Sparrow

03, Jan, 2023 @5:16 PM

Millennials aren’t getting more rightwing with age. I suspect I know why | Arwa Mahdawi

The radicalism of my generation is often attributed to housing costs. But, as I found when I had my first child, there are much deeper issues at play, writes Arwa Mahdawi

Arwa Mahdawi

03, Jan, 2023 @12:16 PM

More men want to be stay-at-home dads and better fathers. Why won’t politicians help them? | Jeremy Davies

Data shows that many are ready to change their own lives and ultimately society, says Jeremy Davies of the Fatherhood Institute

Jeremy Davies

02, Jan, 2023 @2:00 PM

The Observer view on how Britain’s crises can be fixed by a shift in political culture | Observer editorial

Only generous-spirited, long-term approach can tackle the catastrophes of poor growth, a crumbling NHS and a dysfunctional housing market

Observer editorial

01, Jan, 2023 @6:00 AM

‘It gives us hope’: how baby banks are helping parents in the cost of living crisis

Charities provide struggling families with much-needed items such as toys, nappies and buggies, as well as advice

Jess Clark

17, Dec, 2022 @8:00 AM

Ministers back down over childcare infrastructure issue in Commons

Move comes after cross-party push and means major housebuilders could be obliged to pay towards new facilities

Peter Walker Political correspondent

13, Dec, 2022 @7:47 PM

Childcare should be classed as necessary ‘infrastructure’, say MPs

Plan would mean new developments must have sufficient provision of free or subsidised childcare up to age 11