Could single parents swing the election?

The outcome of virtually all the 100 most marginal seats in England and Wales could be decided by single parents, showing the importance of policies such as childcare costs and flexible working, according to a new report.

Gingerbread said that in 96 seats, the number of single parents outweighs the majority at the last election.

Another reason why the parties are falling over each other to please parents – Labour are offering 25 hours of free childcare and unpaid leave for grandparents, the Conservative say they’ll give parents 30 hours. Liberal Democrats want to invest billions more in education for under 19s. Ukip say they will  make it a statutory duty for all primary schools to offer before and after-school care from 8am to 6pm .