Suella Braverman hits out: Middle income families NEED childcare support as much as poor families

Replying to Hope’s question about there being a problem with fewer couples having children, Braverman said: “If we are seriously to be the party of family, we should be supporting those poorer families at the lower end of the income scale with their family support and with the children that they have.

“But it should be at all levels of the income scale. So middle income families, I do believe, do need more support with children and expanding their families through the tax regime.”

Watch: Suella Braverman speaks on Conservative Party being the Party of families

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Braverman said the party need to look at rewarding stay-at-home mums in the tax system explaining that parents will have children and almost immediately have to return to work as it is so expensive.

she added: “I do think we should be supporting mothers to stay at home if they want to, because being a stay at home parent is an invaluable right.”

Hope said: “You’re a mum of course,” to which Braverman replied: “I am a mum. I took a very short period of maternity leave for six months and I went back to work.”

Braverman continued: “I would love to be able to spend more time with my children. I will be able to this summer. I’m looking forward to actually spending much more time with my children.”

The former Home Secretary went on to describe the family unit as a “bedrock of society” which there needs to be policies to support.

Comparing Britain’s taxing system to other European countries, Braverman said: “If you look at other countries like Germany, they’ve unified the family unit.

“So you’re taxed as a family unit as opposed to individual earners, which is what we do. And it becomes more punitive.”

Braverman said she would like to “change the way we tax families” but that would need “a whole new computer system which is a big risk in this country.”