By Aneesa Malik
Labour leader, Ed Milliband plans to offer free childcare for parents with primary school children, from 8am to 6pm.
Harriet Harman, Deputy Leader has also announced plans for working mothers to share their parental leave with their mothers or mothers-in-law.
She said providing universal childcare was the missing part of the welfare state.
“We are coming up with some big action on childcare,” she said. “People are saying we want an NHS which is free, we want a good education system and we want childcare.
“There’s a fundamental argument that says ‘if this is a demand of women, public policy should deliver it.”
The Coalition is committed to giving 15 hours of free childcare a week to 260,000 families with two year-olds if they earn less than £16,190.
Speaking ahead of the Labour Party conference in Brighton, Ms Harman suggested Labour would go further, if the money were available.
“I absolutely give you my word that childcare will be a big part of our manifesto in 2015,” she said.
“All parents with children in primary school can have the certainty that childcare is available from 8am to 6pm,” according to Mr. Miliband.
Ms Harman, 63, will unveil plans for “granny leave” – where working mums could share their year’s parental leave with their mother or mother-in-law.
Ms Harman said the take up of parental leave by dads was very low. “It’s most likely the person taking time off work is the grandmother,” she said.
“We are saying the mother could allocate some of the leave to the grandmother”.
