Busch challenges Kristersson over family policy

Christian Democrat leader Ebba Busch says her party offers a better solution for Swedish families than the Moderates proposal to abolish fees for preschool and after school care, SVT reported.

Moderate leader and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has made fee free preschool and after school care one of his partys key election pledges. He said the reform could leave a family with two children with up to 2,100 kronor more per month, depending on the childrens ages.

Before the proposal can be implemented, however, Kristersson must persuade his coalition partner, the Christian Democrats. Busch instead wants the party to deliver its pledge to raise the child allowance to 2,000 kronor.

Families must benefit over the next four years, Busch said, describing the Moderates proposal as strong. But she said the Christian Democrats would match the financial value of the reform by raising the child allowance and making preschool groups smaller while improving quality.

Busch said both pledges could not be implemented at the same time and argued that the Christian Democrats plan would particularly benefit people on lower incomes.

The Moderates estimate that their reform would cost about 10 billion kronor a year. The party plans to fund it through reduced bureaucracy, less benefit fraud and redirected foreign aid.

Busch rejected reducing foreign aid to strengthen welfare services. She said welfare improvements could instead be funded by giving less priority to high income earners. She added that the Christian Democrats had already redirected foreign aid but that support for Swedish families now needed to be improved through other funding.