Tory backbenchers plan to put pressure on Hunt to cut childcare costs

Britain is among the world’s most expensive countries for childcare, with families spending more than a quarter of their income on it. Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer

A handful of influential Tory backbenchers have created an informal pressure group to push the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, to cut the costs of childcare at next month’s budget, as experts say the sector is in crisis.

The MPs, led by Siobhan Baillie, have been meeting regularly in recent weeks to discuss a range of measures they want Hunt to introduce to help parents afford care for young children and get back to work.