Parent politicians - how to find time for new school shoes and manifesto launches

Parental timetable battles have got a little more complicated for one couple though, with would-be MPs Yvette Cooper and Ed Balls now trying to secure a Labour victory alongside organising day to day child care.

Mrs Cooper has revealed she, like many others mothers, has a secret helper.

“We definitely depend on my mum, especially now,” she said.

“I don’t know how working parents cope without grandparents. My mum is the forth emergency service. Suddenly something has gone wrong, we need to call grandma.

“A lot of parents have to juggle, have slightly mad things they are juggling, and I always feel that this is hardest of all for parents working shifts.

“Ed and I do end up spending quite a lot of time on the train working out who needs to buy new school shoes, who needs to pop to Clark’s in between a campaign visit.”