The new Government has pledged to make free child-care a priority in this Parliament in a bid to create 2 million more jobs by 2020. This would increase the employment rate from 73.4% to a record 76.6% — the highest in the G7 group of countries.

Vicky Redwood, an economist at the Capital Economics consultancy, said that the plan to double free child-care for three- and four-year-olds to 30hr per week should help improve employment rates by enabling more parents — especially women — to return to work. “A total of 15hr per week is probably not really enough for someone to do even a decent part-time job, whereas 30hr is.” At 67.2%, the UK’s female employment rate is higher than the rate in the USA and Japan, but lower than the rate in Germany, Canada and the Nordic countries.

However, the Pre-school Learning Alliance (PLA), which represents 14,000 child-care providers, said that the Government plans will fail to address a number of issues, including a lack of availability.

PLA chief executive Neil Leitch said that the current 15hr of free child-care are “grossly under-funded to the sum of around £206 million, which means that around 50% of providers either break even or make a loss. What’s going to happen if you then move at the same pace and attach an additional 15hr? It’s just going to exacerbate the problem.”

The Conservatives also said that they intend to create 3 million more apprenticeships by 2020. Commenting on this announcement, CBI deputy director-general Katja Hall said: “It’s good to see the Government getting ‘out of the blocks’ by focusing on apprenticeships, and it’s right to set ambitious targets.

"However, employers should get greater control over funding to develop high-quality apprenticeships that work for their industry, helping the UK to combat its growing skills gap. Better co-ordination between the Government and businesses will ensure that apprenticeships are routes to good careers.”