Thousands march across UK to demand affordable childcare

Hundreds of protesters gathered successful cardinal London connected Saturday to impulse the authorities to betterment the childcare assemblage and parental leave.

March of the Mummies demonstrators privation "affordable childcare, flexible moving and decently paid parental leave".

The lawsuit was 1 of respective marches held successful cities crossed the UK including successful Bristol, Glasgow and Norwich.

The authorities said it was "committed to supporting moving parents and helping them participate" successful work.

But speaking successful London, Labour MP Stella Creasy said comments by Rishi Sunak likening maternity permission to a vacation reflected that helium "(doesn't) truly cognize what he's talking about".

Speaking to the PA quality agency, she added: "We've got a cost-of-living situation and an system that isn't growing.

"You can't lick either of those challenges without investing successful childcare.

"For me, investing successful childcare pays disconnected due to the fact that the much women - and it is chiefly women being penalised by this - tin work, the much families tin marque choices that enactment for them."

Families including young children donned bandages, vampire costumes and witches' hats arsenic they took portion successful the events.

Thousands of radical took portion successful marches crossed the UK, which included Manchester and Birmingham.

Speaking successful Bristol, Mandu Reid, person of the British Women's Equality Party, accused the authorities of leaving mothers to enactment connected "pittance wages" portion raising children.

She said that "underpaid, undervalued, mostly women workers" were paying the outgo for the "failures" of the governmental system.

"We tin triumph this (and) we won't halt until our governmental strategy fixes the problems it's created," she said.

In Manchester's St Peter's Square, Joeli Brearley, laminitis and main enforcement of Pregnant Then Screwed, said "mothers are being pushed retired of the workforce each twelvemonth for simply daring to procreate".

Also speaking astatine the demonstration, Bekkie Nickerson, who works connected a freelance ground successful the theatre industry, said that she had to crook down her "perfect job" this week due to the fact that "all the wage would spell connected childcare and I privation to person immoderate flexible working".

Luke Barley said that the existent strategy is "set up truthful dads person to spell backmost to work".

"And mums extremity up doing much of the childcare," helium added.

"So we don't person the options and choices disposable to america and the kids don't get the large acquisition that they merit either."

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said the UK "has 1 of the astir generous maternity permission entitlements successful the world" and has spent much than £20 cardinal implicit the past 5 years supporting moving parents.

"We privation employees to beryllium capable to petition when, where, and however they work, and that's wherefore the Government has precocious consulted connected making the close to petition flexible moving a day-one close for each employees," helium added.

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