Labour today put women at the heart of the general election campaign as Ed Balls pledged 10 hours of extra free childcare for working mothers.
The family-friendly plan unveiled by the shadow chancellor will be paid for by a higher levy on the banks, costing the City £800 million.
Coming a week after Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg’s promise of free school meals for infants, it put women voters and young families at the heart of the coming general election contest.
“To make work pay for families, we must act,” said the shadow chancellor. In another key part of his speech, Mr Balls signalled that Labour is cooling towards the flagship High Speed Rail project.
However, the conference was overshadowed by policy setbacks and by more toxic fall-out from the memoirs of Gordon Brown’s former spin doctor Damian McBride.
A plan to force companies to train “local” apprentices in return for being allowed to import specialist immigrant workers was in turmoil. Companies protested and it emerged that it would be illegal under EU law to prevent European youngsters getting the apprenticeships.
Another row blew up over Mr Balls’ announcement that he would invite the Office for Budget Responsibility to audit Labour’s manifesto – which Tories said would be beyond the official body’s remit.
Mr Balls, a former ally of Mr McBride, stressed that he was loyal to leader Ed Miliband, whom he praised as “my friend, our leader, Britain’s next Prime Minister”.
He flatly denied claims that Mr McBride had briefed against other Labour figures on his behalf. “There was also, we now know, some very nasty briefings done by Damian McBride, which I knew nothing about,” he said. “That’s never been something I’ve ever done or been involved in, I knew nothing about it, I condemn it absolutely.”
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But there was no escaping the shadow of Mr McBride who, though banned from the conference, came to Brighton to publicise his book.
New extracts described how Mr Miliband confronted McBride in 2007 over briefings and told him: “I think you’re lying — I think we are finished.”
Today’s childcare plan was billed as worth around £1,500 per child and available for 440,000 children whose parents both work. It would cost £674 million, leaving Mr Balls change from his raid on the banks.
“For the first time, parents will be able to work part-time without having to worry about the cost of childcare,” he told the hall.
On HS2, he said Labour still backed the London to Birmingham line but now supported business groups who say alternative uses for the £50 billion cost should be considered. “There will be no blank cheque from me as a Labour Chancellor for this project or for any project,” he said. “The question is … whether it is the best way to spend £50 billion.”
London’s transport chief today said HS2 risked becoming a “Ryanair of the rails” if costs are cut at the London end of the link.
Sir Peter Hendy spoke out after Treasury minister Lord Deighton signalled he would consider making Old Oak Common — on the Crossrail line — the final London stop to save £5billion. He said it would leave passengers stranded “in the middle of nowhere”.
