Future of world-renowned children’s centre in hands of Reform UK Pen Green, a model for Labour’s Sure Start, could face closure if Reform-led North Northamptonshire council fails to act The Guardian - UK · May 30, 2025
Delaying child poverty plan until autumn budget is ‘right call’, says Brown Delay has caused anxiety among MPs, but former PM says ministers need time to secure funding for flagship strategy The Guardian - UK · May 27, 2025
By delaying its child poverty plan, Labour has a chance to reverse 15 years of inequality As a former chancellor, I know this challenge can only be met in a budget. But Starmer and Reeves must not waste their chance, says former UK prime minister Gordon Brown The Guardian - UK · May 27, 2025
UK child poverty taskforce set to recommend return of Sure Start scheme Despite praise for Sure Start from some in the Labour party, there are also concerns that resuming the service would be difficult and costly The Guardian - UK · May 25, 2025
Sure Start centres generated £2 of financial benefits for every £1 spent, study finds New Labour initiative created ‘remarkably long-lasting’ health and education improvements, says report The Guardian - UK · May 21, 2025
We should celebrate Labour’s good news on nurseries – but it needs to be bolder Funding schools to set up nurseries works. Why spend more on older children, when we know spending earlier is most effective, asks Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee The Guardian - UK · Apr 4, 2025
From Sure Start to youth centres, cutting children’s services is a false economy Research reveals that Tessa Jowell’s programme not only helped early years children but went on to reduce youth crime The Guardian - UK · Nov 24, 2024
Labour can find money for the great god of infrastructure – but what about actual people? A new report lays bare the scandal of special needs provision, a crisis that sums up just how expensive austerity ends up being, says Guardian columnist John Harris The Guardian - UK · Oct 27, 2024
The Guardian view on Sure Start’s legacy: investing in children brings rewards Editorial: A reduction in serious youth offending can now be added to the benefits brought about by Labour’s flagship family support programme The Guardian - UK · Oct 24, 2024
Labour gave us Sure Start to tackle child poverty. Now it should hike tax to keep it The Tories put British children’s prospects of escaping a poor background into reverse. This is Labour’s chance to fix that, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee The Guardian - UK · Oct 22, 2024
Today, our hearts are breaking for the children of Gaza. Tomorrow, we must give them peace The damage that ongoing fighting will cause to young minds is incalculable. A peace plan that prioritises their needs is vital, says former UK prime minister Gordon Brown The Guardian - UK · Oct 8, 2024
The Observer view on early years education: Labour must find the money to address the attainment gap Class-based disadvantage manifests itself before children even start school, says a report from the Centre for Young Lives The Guardian - UK · Oct 6, 2024
Rising cost of social services in England putting arts and youth services at risk, say councils Some councils are already spending up to 80% of their budget on social care and say costs are rising and increasingly unsustainable The Guardian - UK · Oct 2, 2024
In this new austerity moment, a fight is on: for the rights of children with special educational needs Cuts ruin lives and raise costs. This scandal is already playing out in the system, and it should be a warning to Labour, says Guardian columnist John Harris The Guardian - UK · Aug 25, 2024
The Guardian - UK · Jul 12, 2024 Labour will rightly be judged by how it fixes our problems. But never forget who left the UK in such a rotten state Although Cameron and Osborne have been rebranded as Tory moderates, look back to 2010 and you’ll see how much devastation they truly caused, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee
The Conversation · Jul 1, 2024 Labour and the Conservatives both plan to boost childcare by relying on the private sector Childcare features prominently in both major parties’ plans for work and personal finance. Keir Starmer wants to make early-years provision as universal as possible while the Conservatives claim they’re already transforming childcare and increasing funding to both boost children’s development and get mothers back to work.
The Guardian - UK · Jun 25, 2024 Labour wants to ‘take back our streets’: Will this help people affected by crime? Experts say Keir Starmer’s plans to cut serious crime levels are ambitious. The party also hopes to restore faith in the criminal justice system but with limited extra resources
The Guardian - UK · May 18, 2024 ‘People haven’t woken up to the scale of this’: Gordon Brown on the UK’s child poverty scandal A quarter of Britain’s children live below the poverty line. Near his Fife home, the former PM shows how charities help families and says this issue must be a priority for any government
The Guardian - UK · May 18, 2024 Archbishop of Canterbury urges Starmer to ditch ‘cruel’ two-child benefit cap Head of Church of England Justin Welby tells Observer that ending policy would lift thousands of children out of poverty
The Guardian - UK · May 14, 2024 Millions of British children born since 2010 have only known poverty. My £3bn plan would give them hope We know about the hardship of ‘Thatcher’s children’, but a new generation of Tories has raised inequality to even higher levels, says the former UK prime minister Gordon Brown
The Guardian - UK · May 14, 2024 Children of austerity need a rescue plan, Gordon Brown says Former prime minister proposes £3bn support package for ‘blighted generation’, including Sure Start relaunch
The Guardian - UK · Apr 18, 2024 Sure Start could have changed everything for my family. Labour must be brave – and revitalise it A new report shows how transformational the initiative was. But Keir Starmer’s early-years plans lack the same vision, says journalist Terri White
The Guardian - UK · Apr 11, 2024 Reviving Sure Start would be a vote-winner for Labour Letters: John Bercow says the early years programme was a crucial life enhancer for millions of children and could be a key election battleground. Plus letters from Prof Gary Craig, Deborah Hayter, Keith Reed and Ian Wrigglesworth
The Guardian - UK · Apr 10, 2024 ‘Gift of hope and confidence’: parents recall how Sure Start was a lifeline As calls grow for Labour to reinstate the centres for early years support, we hear from some of those who saw its benefits
The Guardian - UK · Apr 9, 2024 The Guardian view on Sure Start’s success: Labour should see the latest findings as an opportunity Editorial: Research proving that early intervention works ought to be seized on by Keir Starmer’s party