Labour’s commitment to families is a big part of my campaigning this week. I know what it’s like to be a working parent, and how much difference these Labour policies will make:

• We’ll increase paid maternity leave to a year so that new mothers can give their children the best start in life.
• We’ll provide free childcare for 2,3 and 4 year olds. The Tories’ childcare package wasn’t properly funded, so it left childcare providers and parents out of pocket. And we’ll rebuild the national network of children’s centres that was dismantled by the Tories.
• Parents will have more rights to flexible working. That’s really important to enable parents to juggle work and home life.
•  School funding will be restored and there will be free school meals for all primary school children.
• And to give parents a chance to improve their skills, there will be free access to lifelong learning.

Child poverty and child homelessness has rocketed under the Tories. For the first time most people living in poverty are also in work. So our plans to increase the minimum wage will be important to make sure that work pays.

You can see my video on Labour’s family-friendly policies here.