Minister Victoria Atkins says she was forced to bring her son, 11, to TV studios because she had no childcare as she argues it can be a ‘barrier’ to work

• Atkins said she brought him because he was not at school due to half term 

A minister said she had been forced to bring her 11-year-old son to television studios because she had no childcare.

Victoria Atkins, financial secretary to the Treasury, said she brought her child to the morning media round because he was not at school due to half term.

Asked about the latest figures on economic activity on Times Radio, she said that childcare could be a ‘barrier’ to work.

She told the station: ‘The Chancellor announced a transformational childcare package to help mums and dads back into the workplace because we know that childcare can very often be a barrier to work.

‘Indeed, I have to confess I’ve brought my 11-year-old to the studios this morning because he’s not at school it’s half-term, but childcare can be a real barrier to people and we want to really, you know, free people up, enable them to seek work if they want to and not have childcare as a cost.’

Victoria Atkins (pictured), financial secretary to the Treasury, said she brought her child to the morning media round because he was not at school due to half term

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt (pictured) announced a new childcare package in March

She later told the Mail: ‘It’s a familiar situation for every mum and parent juggling work and childcare. I was on at 7 in the morning and my husband was working so he came in with me.

‘He was only with me for a couple of hours, but he rather enjoyed it and he got a treat afterwards – his favourite drink.

‘Though I think watching mum on TV and critiquing her was not nearly as interesting as playing on his phone.’

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Ms Atkins was commenting on Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures which revealed that the unemployment rate hasn’t budged despite the Government’s back-to-work drive.

It stood at 4.2 per cent in the three months to August, the same as in the previous three months.

The figures also showed pay growth starting to ease for the first time since January, job vacancies falling and an 11,000 drop in UK workers on payrolls during September.

The latest data showed there were 1.4 million unemployed in the three months to August while the employment rate also remained unchanged at 75.7per cent, with 31.6 million in jobs.

When compared with the three months to May, the UK jobless rate edged up to from 4per cent to 4.2per cent, with 74,000 more jobless people, the ONS said.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a new childcare package in March.

It will mean working families in England have access to 30 hours of free childcare per week for children aged between nine months and four years old, where all adults in the household work at least 16 hours.

The policy had previously only applied to the parents of three and four-year-olds.

The scheme will not come in until 2024.

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