Election: Boris Johnson set to offer more free childcare in Tory manifesto to win over mums and families

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BORIS Johnson is poised to make a huge offer to families in his Tory election manifesto, by promising more free child care for parents.

The promise to give out more help for working families is sure to go down well with swing voters as the PM prepares to launch his campaign today.

Boris looks delighted as he visits a school in North Buckinghamshire last week

The PM is looking at ways to give extra support to parents with pre-school children, The Daily Mail reports.

At the moment two-year-olds get 15 hours of free help per week, but that goes up to 30 hours a week when a child is three.

As the election starting gun was fired:

  • Brexit Party boss Nigel Farage gave the PM a final 24 hours to decide on an electoral pact with him;
  • Tory Cabinet ministers privately warned they fear the election will result in a hung Parliament;
  • Up to four axed Tory MPs could run against Conservative candidates in a blow to the partys majority hopes;
  • Mr Johnson warned the Cabinet that his own Uxbridge seat is at risk from a Labour surge in December;
  • A row over TV debates erupted as Mr Corbyn challenged the PM to an on-air joust but Lib Dem boss Jo Swinson insisted she must be allowed to take part
  • Follow all the action with our live blog

The PM is reportedly looking at multiple proposals on childcare.

One would be to give an extra ten weeks of free childcare for three and four-year-olds.

The other plan, which is more expensive, would give 15 hours of free childcare to all two-year-olds.

A senior Tory source said: “These are potential Lib Dem voters in the South and potential Labour voters in the North who think Labour has abandoned them culturally.

“Both these groups are in work and they have childcare costs. Theyre asking whether they can trust the Tories to look after them.

“Whether theyre earning 65,000 a year and living in London, or 25,000 a year and living in South Shields, these are the voters we need to attract.”

Promises for more police, crackdown on crime, and focusing on the NHS are expected to play a huge part in the upcoming manifesto.

Downing Street refused to comment on the claims.

A senior Conservative source said: “Lots of proposals have been raised. The manifesto is still being drawn up.”

The PM is mulling over a bold offer to parents on childcare

Addressing the 1922 Committee last night, Chancellor Sajid Javid assured Tory MPs they could “win big” on December 12.

In a rallying call as the campaign began, he warned against complacency – but said the party would fight with a clear offer on Brexit that would cut through to voters.

He said: “We will be the only party that confidently say we will get Brexit done, there will be no further extensions, we will be the only party with a deal in our manifesto.”

And despite postponing the Budget to allow the Budget to take place, the Chancellor said “none of that work has been wasted” – promising colleagues: “You shouldn’t be surprised at all if your budget submissions start appearing in a manifesto.”

Mr Johnson will also today highlight the Tories domestic promises with a whistlestop tour of a school in Suffolk, a hospital in Cambridgeshire and a police unit in London.

Mr Corbyn, meanwhile, will begin his campaign with a pledge to bring down a corrupt system of tax dodgers, bad bosses and polluters.