As the fourth Children’s Minister in the last 12 months, David Johnston is taking office in a crucial role at a crucial time. In this comment, we look at some of the big challenges that Mr Johnston will face when he starts work this afternoon.
In the March 2023 Budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a major expansion of the ‘free entitlement’ to a funded childcare place. This currently serves around 1.3 million children, with entitlements for all 3- and 4-year-olds and roughly a quarter of the most disadvantaged 2-year-olds.
These reforms are another huge step in the creation of childcare as the newest branch of the welfare state. Spending has quadrupled over the last two decades, and these new entitlements will see spending double again over the next three years.
But such a big reform is not without risk. When the new entitlements are fully implemented in September 2025, we estimate that Whitehall will directly control the price of around 80% of pre-school childcare in England (up from just under 50% now).
