The Liberal Democrats have slammed the government following reports that over 1,000 nurseries have closed since 2015, despite Conservative promises of 30 hours a week of free childcare for working parents.

Layla Moran MP, Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson, said:

“The Conservatives promised to be the party of the family but they have turned out to be the party of neglect.

“They promised 30 hours of free childcare but they didn’t put in the kind of money such a scheme needs, as many warned at the time. This has contributed to closures. Without proper funding this was always going to be an empty promise.

“It is the early years that make the crucial difference to help give children a good start in life and increase social mobility. Ministers must act now or they will have let down a generation of children.

“And with 6% of our childcare workforce EU migrants, this crisis will only escalate thanks to Theresa May’s extreme Brexit. You can’t have decent childcare and a hard Brexit.”