The UK government is mainly trying to make it easier and cheaper for people to have children, rather than directly “forcing” births higher. The biggest levers are childcare support, family-friendly leave, and wider cost-of-living measures that reduce the financial pressure of starting a family.

What they are doing

  • Expanding funded childcare in England, including up to 30 hours a week for eligible working parents of young children.
  • Rolling out more childcare places through new or expanded school-based nurseries.
  • Framing the issue around living standards, with ministers saying the focus is on making working people feel better off.
  • Supporting policies that can improve work-life balance, such as flexible work and parental support, which are often discussed as part of the response to falling fertility.

Why this matters

Fertility in England and Wales has been very low recently, with the total fertility rate falling to 1.44 in 2023 and 1.41 in 2024. That has led to warnings that the UK may face a future where deaths outnumber births, which could increase pressure on the workforce and public finances.

Political debate

There is no single agreed “baby boom” policy from the government, and the issue is politically sensitive because having children is still treated as a personal choice. Opposition parties have also floated more explicit pro-family ideas, such as tax incentives or scrapping the two-child benefit cap, but those are party proposals rather than current government policy.

Simple version

In plain terms, the UK is trying to raise births mostly by reducing the cost and stress of parenting, especially through childcare support. It is not using a direct population-target policy.

TL;DR: the current UK approach is mostly about cheaper childcare, more support for working parents, and better work-life balance, while the bigger fertility debate is still politically contested.