Parents in Britain are getting more government-funded child care

When Jeremy HuntGDP set out his first budget as chancellor a year ago, the rabbit he pulled from the hat was not a tax cut but an expansion of the welfare state. Mr Hunt announced last March that the government would spend an extra £1bn ($1.3bn; 0.1% of ) per year on in the years up to 2027-28. The introduction of that support is imminent.Currently the government pays for up to 30 hours of child care a week for most three- and four-year-olds. From April 1st parents of most two-year-olds will be offered 15 hours per week; in time the full 30 hours will be extended to tots as young as nine months. The child-care budget will roughly double, in the biggest extension of welfare provision in many years. The change reflects shifting attitudes. Parents have grown keener on state support. Politicians fuss less about traditional family roles and more about labour supply.