As David Cameron told his party's conference in 2009: "Sure Start will stay and we will improve it." Now in government, the Tories cannot be accused of removing the early years scheme from its agenda.
The agenda marked "cuts".
Has David Cameron dropped the biggest hint yet that changes are afoot for Sure Start?
Amid the brouhaha in the wake of George Osborne's emergency Budget and the sense of national tragedy then hyperbole that tracked the varying fortunes of England's football team, it would have been easy to miss the latest developments in the Baby P case.
It is seldom that the right-wing press and the leftish press harmonise, but the abolition of the child trust fund seems to have them singing from the same song sheet.
The Coalition government's promises of pupil premiums, increases in the state pension and the raising of the threshold for paying tax look enticing - until we realise that they will have to funded from coffers already stuffed with IOUs.
Politicians are renowned for not answering questions. Communities secretary John Denham yesterday gave a masterclass in how not to not answer the question. Yes, you did read that correctly.
Action for Children's latest report shows a disturbing rise in the number child neglect cases. Perhaps as many as 1.5 million children suffer a form of neglect - and in England last year nearly 17,000 children were registered on child protection plans.
It was less the night of the long knives, more the day of the long, white envelopes as ministers queued to hand their resignation letters to prime minister Gordon Brown.
| Outside Left questions the thinking behind today’s social policy, with a sometimes wry, occasionally cynical, always straight-talking look at the political elite that shapes it, written by sub editor, Mike McNabb. |
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