From the cradle to the grave. Once that phrase was a description of the ambition of the welfare state. Now, it is an illustration of how far that old vision has frayed. An illustration, too, of the extent to which inequality shapes people’s lives, from the beginning to the end, often with the aid of policymakers.
Two weeks ago, in the budget, the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, made a big show about the expansion of childcare, promising £4bn to extend the current policy of 30 hours a week free nursery care for over-threes to one- and two-year-olds too. Critics soon pointed out that, while the offer was welcome, the numbers did not add up.
