Rishi Sunak dismisses claims levelling up has failed after analysis showing no progress on half of targets– as it happened

4.11pm BST

Afternoon summary

• Rishi Sunak has dismissed claims nurseries do not have capacity to deliver on a major expansion of free care as concerns were put to him about whether the sector could cope with the influx of children.

• Sunak has refused to accept claims that levelling up has failed. (See 3.29pm.)

• Three British nationals have been killed by an Israeli airstrike that hit an aid convoy in Gaza, World Central Kitchen has confirmed. In response, Sunak has urged the Israelis to launch an urgent investigation into what happened. (See 11.31am.)

• Sunak has been criticised for laughing off a question about when the general election will take place. (See 10.19am.)

3.54pm BST

Labour accuses Tories of telling 'lies' about its childcare plans

In his interview with ITV Tyne Tees Rishi Sunak also claimed that free childcare entitlement being provided by the Conservative government would be removed under Labour. He said:

You talk about Labour, Labour haven’t committed to this policy. They would actually take it away from working parents, which I don’t think is the right thing to do.

And in Wales where Labour are in charge and they’ve been given the money by the UK Government, they’ve decided not to match this offer.

So I think that there’s a very clear contrast here. We are in the process of rolling out more free childcare for working parents cause I think that’s the right thing to do. The Labour party have been clear that they oppose those plans and I don’t think that’s any good for families.

This is a more extreme version of what Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, has said in an open letter released today addressed to Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, and Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor. Keegan suggests there is uncertainty about what Labour will do.

Whilst this @Conservatives government is rolling-out the largest expansion of childcare in our country’s history, Labour are refusing to come clean what their plan is for childcare.

My letter to the Shadow Education Secretary and Shadow Chancellor 👇 pic.twitter.com/qei2KiHHR5

— Gillian Keegan MP (@GillianKeegan) April 2, 2024

Whilst this @Conservatives government is rolling-out the largest expansion of childcare in our country’s history, Labour are refusing to come clean what their plan is for childcare.

My letter to the Shadow Education Secretary and Shadow Chancellor

In response, Phillipson has accused the Tories of peddling “nonsense” and “lies”.

The state of this.

Utter nonsense. Rather than peddle lies, either get on with your job or call a general election. https://t.co/g9ykqcJdaD

— Bridget Phillipson (@bphillipsonMP) April 2, 2024

The state of this.

Utter nonsense. Rather than peddle lies, either get on with your job or call a general election

The Tory claims are partly based on an interview Phillipson gave to Newsnight last week in which she said that the nursery system did not have the capacity to provide what the government is offering and that a Labour review (originally announced in October last year) would consider the way forward. The Tories interpreted this as evidence that Labour is not fully committed to its plan, which will not be rolled out in full until September 2025.

Since then Labour has said that it is not planning to remove childcare entitlement from parents. In a statement yesterday Phillipson said:

After 14 years of Tory failure, it will be Labour who get on with the job and finally deliver the much-needed childcare for parents.

That is why we have commissioned respected former Ofsted Inspector Sir David Bell to lead a review on early education and childcare to guarantee early years entitlements for parents.