The Liberal Democrats are the party of empowering people and supporting parents and children is our top priority in the new fair deal we offer.

To deliver this we are calling for a £15billion investment in education to help a generation of young people whose education has been affected by the pandemic. A third of the money would go direct to parents to spend on whatever help their children need most: tutoring in reading, writing or maths; music lessons; swimming classes or other physical education.

The £200 Catch-Up Vouchers would be doubled, and in some cases tripled, for children in care, for disadvantaged children, and for those with special needs.

We have to remember that our schools were woefully underfunded before the pandemic and pupils from poorer backgrounds were already falling behind. Months of school closures and disruption has only made the problems worse and more urgent.

We need a massive education catch-up fund. The Government’s own expert recommended a £15 billion investment but the Conservatives have offered only a fraction of this.

The Liberal Democrat Plan would give vital extra funding to every school and empower every parent to spend their Covid cash on the support their child needs to get back on track and fulfil their potential.