Andy Murray is among a host of celebrities putting his name to a UNICEF appeal to Rishi Sunak to guarantee basic early-life services to all children in the UK.

The tennis star joined other famous names, including actors Ewan McGregor and Michael Sheen, singer Rita Ora and Oscar winner and UNICEF UK president, Olivia Colman in signing a letter to the prime minister.

In the Baby and Toddler Guarantee, the charity said maternity services, support for mental health, infant feeding and health visiting, early childhood education and care, special education needs and disability provision, should be “accessible, quality, and fully resourced”.

The letter to Mr Sunak said instead of “looking forward to the “fun-packed carefree days” of the summer holiday, families “are faced with the worrying reality of not being able to put food on the table as they struggle to make ends meet”.

UNICEF cited the government’s own data to back its plea, showing UK child poverty increased by 300,000 in a year, to a “staggering” total of 4.2 million.

In the charity’s poll last year two-thirds of parents of children up to the age of four said the cost-of-living crisis had negatively impacted them as they struggled to afford food, pay bills and manage increasing childcare costs.

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More than 48,000 people have signed its petition said the charity and other charities NSPCC and Save the Children UK have also supported the letter.

UNICEF UK’s chief executive Jon Sparkes said: “Basic services like health visits and mental health care…should be there for every baby and young child during their vital early years.”

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A government spokesperson said: “We are taking action across the range of public services to support families and boost children’s life chances.

“We are rolling out the largest expansion in free childcare in history, worth £6,500 a year for an average working family using 30 hours a week and delivering a cost-of-living support package worth an average of £3,300 per household.

“On top of this, we are providing a holiday and activities food programme which is backed by £200 million per year to 2025, and expanding and transforming mental health services in England so that two million more people will be able to get the mental health support they need.”

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