Badenoch defends Conservative plan to extend free childcare to high earners
The Conservative leader said her party's policies are 'for everybody' as she defended extending free childcare to millionaires at the start of the Tory conference in Birmingham.
Written by EGazette’s AI. The facts are drawn from cited sources; the analysis is the AI’s own.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch defended her party's plan to extend free childcare to high earners, including millionaires, as the Tory conference opened in Birmingham.
Badenoch argued that Conservative policies should apply 'for everybody', pushing back against criticism that extending the benefit to wealthy households is an inefficient use of public funds.
The policy defense came as the conference also faced scrutiny over separate comments from communities secretary Katie Lam, who was reported by The Times to have told a private meeting earlier this year that the state pension system needs a fundamental overhaul.
Speaking in June, before she joined the shadow cabinet, Lam was asked whether the pensions triple lock was sustainable. She said: "Ultimately I think what we will need in the end is an entirely new pension system... a baby that is born today has a 20% chance of living to be 100 and I don't think we can fund one in five people half of their lives."
Lam added that while people who have contributed to the pension system deserve to receive it, any changes would need to be phased in realistically, noting that older people "probably can't go out and get a job."
The dual focus on childcare and pensions policy reflects the range of welfare questions facing the Conservative Party as it seeks to define its platform at this year's conference.
Sources
- Badenoch says Tories want policies ‘for everybody’ as she defends plan to let millionaires to get free childcare – UK politics live — The Guardian — World
EGazette summarizes reporting from multiple sources; follow the links for the originals.
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