In 1987, my friend Kate and I stood in the middle of Yeovil high street with a very small white coffin. It was empty, but we wanted something eye-catching for passersby so that we could explain how baby milk formula manufacturers were relentlessly flogging formula to new mothers. Over 30 years later, and after much campaigning, I asked a question in the House of Lords in 2020 on the prevalence of breastfeeding in the UK.
The government’s answer was: “The UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world. Data published in the Lancet shows that 0.5% of babies in the UK are being breastfed up to one year compared with 23% in Germany.”
