Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Victoria Richards

Voices: ‘Have more children’ is simplistic and idealistic – who can afford to start a family, minister?

Bridget Phillipson has come up with a canny idea to get Britain’s “worrying” birth rate back up – have more kids.

As official data showed fertility rates in England and Wales dropped to 1.44 children per woman in 2023, the education secretary warned of the “worrying repercussions” posed by a decline in birth rates, saying she wants “more young people to have children, if they so choose”.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.