More than two months have now passed since former shadow childcare minister Tulip Siddiq stood down from the front bench on 26 January, but Labour is yet to appoint a replacement, with the post currently vacant.
This is despite the sector currently preparing for major change, with free childcare provision set to be extended from 15 hours a week to 30 hours a week in just five months' time.
Pre-school Learning Alliance chief executive Neil Leitch said the introduction of the 30-hours offer, and an associated shake-up to the way providers are funded, require "effective scrutiny".
"We're disappointed that, two months after Tulip Siddiq's resignation, Labour has yet to appoint a new shadow early years minister," Leitch said.
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