Member

True compassion means creating a system that is fair to working families, especially those whose incomes are only just above the threshold for universal credit. Three weeks ago in this place, I mentioned a self-employed mother who encapsulates this issue of fairness. She confided in me that she and her husband are seriously considering whether they can afford to get pregnant again. She is one of many working mums who face a heart-wrenching dilemma: fulfil her longing to have another baby and lose her earnings as a result, or do what is affordable and risk a lifetime of regret for the child she never had.