Britain | Totting it up

Parents in Britain are getting more government-funded child care 

The biggest expansion of the welfare state in many years  

Children painting during a class.
It’s a bit of a messPhotograph: News Licensing

When Jeremy Hunt set out his first budget as chancellor a year ago, the rabbit he pulled from the hat was not a tax cut but an expansion of the welfare state. Mr Hunt announced last March that the government would spend an extra £1bn ($1.3bn; 0.1% of GDP) per year on child-care subsidies in the years up to 2027-28. The introduction of that support is imminent.

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This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Totting it up”

From the March 23rd 2024 edition

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