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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Dalia Gebrial

Rishi Sunak’s wife’s business links tell the story of Britain’s broken childcare system

Akshata Murty with her husband Rishi Sunak in Belfast, 19 April 2023
Akshata Murty with her husband Rishi Sunak in Belfast, 19 April 2023. Photograph: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images

Rishi Sunak is being investigated over a potential breach of rules for failing to declare the financial interest of his wife, Akshata Murthy, in Koru Kids, one of six childminder agencies that benefited from a policy change in last month’s budget.

Whether or not Sunak broke the rules by failing to declare his wife’s interest will be decided by parliament’s commissioner for standards. But beneath this technocratic tale of government bureaucracy is a much deeper story about the depletion of Britain’s childcare infrastructure over a decade of austerity, the proliferation of childcare apps, and the enrichment of those who have stepped in to fill gaps in provision.

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