The question of where babies come from can be an uncomfortable one for parents to answer. Politicians seldom do better, but they need to come up with an answer soon, before London begins to resemble a retirement community.
The number of babies born in the capital has dropped by more than a fifth in the last decade. The “total fertility” rate, calculated based on the birth rate across different age groups, also fell by 30 per cent during the same 10-year period to 1.39 babies per woman, far below the rate of 2.1 required for a stable population.
The reasons for this reproductive malaise will surprise few parents or those considering the job — the cost of living, from housing to childcare. The capital is the most expensive place in the country to call home, and children, while often free at the point of conception, do not come cheap. This leads many would-be parents either to delay having children, or have one child when they may have preferred two or three. Meanwhile, the cost of private fertility treatment in London means this option is out of reach for many.
The knock-on effect is already being felt in schools, with growing numbers facing closure or mergers as they struggle to balance their budgets amid falling demand for places. Meanwhile, the NHS is consulting on plans to shutter maternity units due to declining birth rates.
British politicians love to talk about “hard-working families”. But it should not be this difficult, or expensive, to start one.
Labour walks a tightrope
Parties that are 20 points ahead in the polls months out from a general election do not need to take risks, and Sir Keir Starmer’s six pledges, revealed at an event in Essex today, were in that vein.
From delivering economic stability and launching a new border security command to recruiting 6,500 teachers, Labour is continuing its policy of reassurance. This is broadly sensible, in that some voters remain wary of the party’s ability to manage the economy and public finances. Moreover, Rishi Sunak’s experience on pledges shows that they can become a millstone around a leader’s neck if not met.
Yet a balance must be struck. While some voters require reassurance, others quite reasonably want to know that Labour has plans to improve broad swathes of the public realm that have fallen into disrepair. This is the tightrope that Starmer, Rachel Reeves and the shadow cabinet must walk from now until election day. The Tory hope is that one or two might fall off. It hasn’t happened yet.
Tailor-made victory
In a victory for tailors on Savile Row, Westminster council has overruled a previous decision and approved the demolition of a local police station to make way for a major new development that will include an academy for apprentices. This approval, called for in these pages, will help protect and enhance the skills and talent long on display on this famous street. A sensible outcome belatedly reached.
