Phillipson urges more young Brits to have children as birth rate hits ‘worrying’ low

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has pledged support for a series of measures to help more young people in Britain to “have children”, amid a decline in birth rates.   

The cabinet minister said that the fall in the UK’s birth rate could have “worrying repercussions” for the country, marking a shift in government policy.

This comes as the fertility rate in the UK has fallen to just 1.44 children per woman, the lowest figure since records began, and significantly below the figure of 2.1 necessary to maintain the population.

In an article for The Daily Telegraph, written to promote the government’s new policy to increase nursery places, Phillipson said she wanted more people to be able to have children, appreciating the current limitations of housing and childcare costs.

The Labour government’s initial plans include establishing around 200 school-based nurseries in England from September, with an aim of creating provisions for 4,000 children

She pledged the government’s commitment to support families, asserting that “improving our early years system” is a “number one priority”.

The Labour government’s initial plans include establishing around 200 school-based nurseries in England from September, with an aim of creating provisions for 4,000 children.

Expanded provision later in the year will see this number rise to 300 school-based nurseries, with more funded childcare places available.

These proposals are intended to support Phillipson’s wish for young people to realise the “ordinary aspiration” of having children, creating “moments that make our lives fulfilling”.

The Education Secretary said that Labour’s package of support for families contrasts what she termed the “sorry legacy of a Conservative government”, which “claimed to be the party of family while whittling down the pillars of support on which planning for a family depends”.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) warned last year that a decline in births could cause national debt to escalate significantly

She added that the government’s proposals, which include raising the Early Years Pupil Premium, will account for the demand for more funded places in nurseries and schools.

Furthermore, Labour will utilise empty classroom spaces caused by falling birth rates to open school-based nurseries, which would expand existing childcare places, and provide provision for families and children who need it.

Phillipson also posited that the government were on track to deliver more childcare places than initially anticipated.

Concern about falling birth rates has been widespread in recent years. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) warned last year that a decline in births could cause national debt to escalate significantly.

The discrepancy between births and deaths in Britain, the OBR added, could jeopardise the adequate funding of public services and engender a dependence on migration to sustain the population.

In addition to the economic consequences, families have also ultimately been faced with personal problems, Phillipson added, with many left with “dashed dreams” to have children, a problem she hopes the government will help to remedy.