No baby boom from lockdown

The number of births plummeted to its lowest level for nearly 20 years as lockdown failed to spark a ‘baby boom’, figures have revealed.

There were just under 614,000 live births in england and Wales last year – a fall of 4.1 per cent compared with 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Meanwhile, the proportion of babies whose mothers were born outside the UK hit a record high of 29.3 per cent.

Although couples spent more time together at home during the pandemic, experts said the lack of job and income security meant plans to expand families were put on hold.

Pandemic restrictions on dating, weddings and IVF treatment also had an effect, as did concerns over coronavirus’s impact on pregnancy.

Barret Kupelian, of accountancy firm PwC, warned we are likely to see a lower birth rate this year too and said other european countries have seen the same trend.