Labour has pledged to covert more than 3,000 vacant school classrooms across England into nursery facilities if elected next month.
Ahead of the upcoming General Election – which is due to take place on Thursday 4 July – in a couple of weeks time, Labour and its leader,Sir Keir Starmer, have been outlining the Party’s vision for the both the immediate and long-term future of the country.
As part of this, the Party has today unveiled what it says is a “clear plan” for childcare and early education nationwide.
Labour is pledging to “give every child life chances” and “every parent work choices”.
Labour will deliver better life chances for children and better choices for parents with our plan for childcare. pic.twitter.com/JrthwOFX6B
At the heart of this is the intent to make childcare “available, accessible, and affordable” throughout the country, predominately through the creation of more than 3,000 new nursery classes in England – which will be done by converting spare school classrooms into “high-quality spaces” that’ll be paid for by putting an end to the tax breaks that private schools are currently “enjoying”.
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The Party says it’s also intent on delivering the “enhanced entitlements” the current UK Government has offered, if elected, which it hopes will eventually save thousands of pounds a year for working families.
On top of this, another key part of Labour’s plan unveiled this week is to make sure childcare doesn’t end when children start school – with one other major thing the Party is pledging including the promise to provide free breakfast clubs in every primary school in England, paid for by ending tax ‘loopholes’ and “clamping down on tax evasion”.
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Labour has pledged to create 100,000 extra nursery places nationwide if elected / Credit: Labour
Labour believes breakfast clubs not only give parents the choice for an earlier start to their working day, but also “drive up attendance and standards” and “improve behaviour and attainment” of pupils.
“Labour’s plan has been built by learning from how childcare works the world over,” Sir Keir Starmer explained.
“It stretches from the end of parental leave to the end of primary school, because every parent knows that childcare costs don’t end when children start school. Labour is determined to deliver not just more childcare, but better childcare and early education – for the best start to every life.”
As tends to be the case with politics, the Party’s plan for childcare and early education has been met with both praise and criticism from unions, experts, and so on.
Trade union UNISON and its assistant general secretary, Jon Richards, said the expansion of nurseries “could make the world of difference to parents struggling to find affordable childcare” and that Labour’s plans therefore “make a lot of sense”, but other industry-relevant experts have warned the plans are like a “sticking plaster solution”.
They feel that already-understaffed nurseries don’t have the space or staff to deal with the extra demand.
As well as its own plans unveiled this week, many will know that Labour has already pledged to stick to the current Government’s plans for a staged expansion of free childcare.
This started with working parents of all two-year-olds in England being able to claim 15-hours a week since April, and is set to be extended to working parents of all children older than nine months from this September.
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A full rollout of 30-hours a week free childcare will then go to all eligible families a year later.
Featured Image – RawPixel
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England football fans warned as ticket scams skyrocket ahead of World Cup
Emily Sergeant
England football fans are being warned to remain vigilant, as ticket scams skyrocket ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup merely weeks from officially kicking off in the North America and Mexico on 11 June, football fans are being urged to guard against scams, as newly-released data from Lloyds has revealed that football ticket scams increased by more than a third (36%) during the current Premier League season.
The findings – which are based on thousands of scam cases between October 2025 and March 2026 – showed that fraudsters focused heavily on popular teams such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea.
Fraudsters also repeatedly targeted supporters looking for tickets to some of the most in-demand football matches in the UK, which is why, with the upcoming World Cup set to be one of the most speculated sporting events of the year, scam warnings are being issued.
It’s anticipated that fraudsters will target the big-name fixtures and attempt to exploit international demand, according to Lloyds.
England football fans are being warned as ticket scams skyrocket ahead of the World Cup / Credit: Picryl
On average, it was revealed that victims lost £215 during the current Premier League football season, but some fans even paid thousands of pounds for ‘season tickets’ or VIP seats that never existed.
Hopeful football fans are expected to pay much more for expensive World Cup tickets, meaning the potential loss for victims could be ‘devastating’.
As scammers know demand for World Cup tickets will be huge, it’s expected that they will mimic the methods seen in club level scams – including fake listings on social media, pressure to act fast, and requests for bank transfers.
“Fraudsters thrive on urgency and target fans looking for hard to get tickets for big name fixtures,” explained Liz Ziegler, who is the Fraud Prevention Director at Lloyds.
“Most of the football ticket scams we see start on social media, before the criminal moves the buyer onto WhatsApp and insists on a bank transfer to pay. It’s incredibly convincing, and we don’t want fans to lose their money trying to support their team.
“We’re urging supporters to stay alert and stick to official ticketing channels.”
Ahead of the World Cup, Lloyds and the Home Office have teamed up to take action to protect fans by highlighting how criminals will try to exploit the excitement – with Lord Hanson adding: “Our new fraud strategy sets out how we will use every tool at our disposal to disrupt and dismantle criminal operations, bring fraudsters to justice and strengthen support for victims.”
Featured Image – Pexels
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Cold case solved after 34 years as Stockport man is jailed for indecent assault and attempted rape
Emily Sergeant
A cold case has finally been solved after more than three decades, as a man has been jailed for indecent assault and attempted rape.
Aron Traynor, 56, of London Road in Stockport, was sentenced at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last Friday (8 May 2026) for the violent indecent assault and attempted rape of a then 74-year-old woman all the way back in 1992.
The conviction follows a renewed cold case investigation by Greater Manchester Police’s (GMP) Cold Case Unit, as well as advances in forensic science that allowed the evidence to be re‑examined.
The victim – who has sadly since passed away – was attacked by a stranger while walking near her home.
Despite extensive forensic work at the time, no suspect was identified, and the case remained under ‘active review’. Then in 2005, the Cold Case Unit commissioned further forensic analysis, producing a near‑complete DNA profile that was added to the National DNA Database… unfortunately though, no match was found at that time.
A breakthrough came when a DNA sample taken from Traynor following an unrelated arrest for drink-driving in August 2023 matched the profile developed by the Cold Case Unit, finally bringing long‑awaited justice for the victim’s family.
In October 2023, the Cold Case Unit was formally notified of the DNA match, and Traynor was arrested shortly afterwards.
A five‑day jury trial in March 2026 found him guilty on both charges, and last week, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Speaking following Traynor’s sentencing last week, Detective Chief Inspector Cheryl Hughes said: “Time is quite simply no barrier to justice.
“Today’s sentencing shows that we never close investigations into serious violent or sexual offences. DNA is crucial, but it’s the painstaking work of our officers – revisiting evidence, tracing witnesses, and rebuilding the investigative picture – that ultimately brings offenders to justice.
“Offenders should be in no doubt that forensic science continues to advance, and every interaction they have with the criminal justice system increases the chance of their crimes being uncovered.”
Emily Sergeant -
10th June 2024 
