Childcare in the UK is among the most expensive among the countries of the OECD. The lack of affordable and accessible childcare is costing the nation £27bn a year – equivalent to 1 per cent of GDP – according to report by Centre for Progressive Policy.

In this bonus episode of the New Statesman podcast, brought to you by the Spotlight team, Alona Ferber, editor of the Spotlight policy section and supplement, speaks to Stella Creasy. The Labour MP for Walthamstow has long been outspoken on the need to reform Britain’s dysfunctional childcare system, which the party promises to “completely reimagine” if it wins the next election.

They discuss why childcare is becoming an increasingly political issue and the hostility Creasy has experienced campaigning around issues related to work and motherhood. She discusses her recent victory on whether childcare should be considered part of economic infrastructure, the crisis in the sector and which voices are sorely missing from the debate.

This interview will be appearing in the next edition of the Spotlight supplement.

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