Kemi Badenoch unveils radical plan to slash sky-high cost of childcare for millions of Sun readers

RISING Tory star Kemi Badenoch today unveils her radical plan to slash the sky-high cost of childcare for millions of Sun readers.

The Tory leadership hopeful wants to scrap business rates for all nurseries in a huge boost to her emergency cost of living budget.

And she promised to bin strict rules and slash bureaucracy in a fresh bid to encourage more childminders into the profession.

Ms Badenoch, a former equalities minister, thinks the eye-watering costs of childcare are “soul destroying” for parents already facing rising prices and soaring inflation.

The salaries of many mums and dads only just cover the price of putting kids into nursery leaving little over.

She told Trending In The News ahead of laying out her blueprint: “I know childcare costs are one of the biggest pressures on parents.

“I’ve a plan to deal with the cost of living pressures families are facing.

“As Prime Minister I’ll deliver my plan for childcare to reduce fees for families as part of an emergency budget.”

The number of childminders fell dramatically from 102,000 in 1992 to 38,800 in 2019, latest research shows.

Anyone wanting to take care of kids has a string of checks totalling more than £450 to complete before they are allowed to set up a business.

Ms Badenoch wants to urgently review them all — and is minded just to keep the insurance and important DBS checks which ensure safety.

Grannies and grandads and aunts and uncles should also be incentivised to help take care of little ones in their family — and take the burden off struggling parents, she will say.

Before quitting, PM Boris Johnson vowed to tweak childcare ratios to allow childminders to look after an extra kid and curb spiralling costs.

Kemi said she would back the move — but refused to go any further over safety fears.