The Babies Bill: MPs unite on the need to ensure all babies have a fair start in life
14 Oct 2026
MPs from across the political spectrum came together in the House of Commons today to discuss how the Infant, Parents and Carer’s Bill (the “Babies Bill”), can help give every baby the best possible start in life.
The Bill, a private member’s bill championed by Sir Desmond Swayne MP, progressed through Committee Stage, the next step of its passage to becoming law. During the Committee there was welcome cross-party agreement on the principle that governments should act and invest to give all babies the best start in life.
At Start Strong, we know that in the UK, babies’ chances of being healthy, safe and developing well vary according to factors such as family income, ethnicity and where they are born. Addressing these inequalities is vital to ensure every child has a fair start in life.
This is why Start Strong brought together a coalition of charities* and worked with Jess Asato MP to table an amendment to the Bill.
This amendment would require the Government to consider wellbeing and inequalities between babies and families when assessing need for services and support.
A number of MPs spoke in support of the amendment
In introducing the amendment this morning, Jess stated that,
“It is the moral duty of our Government to level the playing field and to ensure that even if we do not all have the same start to life, we may be able to attain similar journeys and end with the right support from birth."
Jess also highlighted the importance of transparency and accountability,
"The public deserves to know the realities of inequalities in early childhood, and governments must welcome robust scrutiny of their policies to help support babies."
The amendment prompted broad agreement among committee members that governments should be paying attention to both outcomes and inequalities in outcomes when making decisions about services and support for families.
Dr Allison Gardener MP argued that solely assessing headline levels of need is not enough,
“If national government doesn't pay attention to these local differences and inequalities, it will miss opportunities to improve and save babies' lives... We need to understand where the families are doing well, where outcomes are falling short and where further action is needed. And we can't just look at national statistics. An improvement in the national average can conceal the fact that some babies are being left further behind.”
MPs brought the issues to life with examples from their constituencies. Allison talked about the high infant mortality rate in Stoke-On-Trent, and Sharon Hodgson described the low breastfeeding rates in the North East of England.
The principle of addressing inequalities also received support from Conservative spokesperson Dr Caroline Johnson MP, and Jess Brown-Fuller MP of the Liberal Democrats.
The amendment was not pushed to a vote, as the Minister agreed to work with Jess Asato and Sir Desmond to consider the amendment ahead of Report Stage.
The Minister acknowledged that Jess was “right to press the government to ensure that the assessment looks beyond expressed demand, considering both wellbeing and inequalities, and pays particular attention to those experiencing the greatest disadvantage” adding that the Government shared that objective.
Both the Minister, and Desmond stated that it was intended that the Bill’s existing provisions would encompass outcomes and inequalities.
Desmond explained,
“I believe that the assessment of need implicitly includes those things, as they should. These are important matters and therefore should be included… it is important that the Minister, when making her assessment, should look beyond demand to how babies and families are faring, especially those that are at risk of doing poorly.”
But MPs in the Committee made the case for spelling out these requirements in legislation rather than leaving them open to interpretation. Doing so would strengthen the Bill and help protect against future changes in Government policy and priorities.
As Rachel Maskell MP described,
“Putting these requirements on the face of the Bill would ensure that outcome and inequalities remain a consistent part of the Government's assessment and reporting, regardless, as we've already heard, of future changes in policy, Parliament or personnel.”
Sharon Hodgson MP made a similar point, arguing that legislation should be as strong as possible and guard against the possibility that future governments might take a different approach to equality and inequality.
What's next?
The discussion was an important step towards ensuring that the needs of babies and families, and the inequalities that shape their lives, are properly reflected in how Government designs services and allocates resources.
As the Bill moves towards Report Stage, Start Strong looks forward to continuing to work with MPs, the Department of Health and Social Care, and our partners across the sector to help make the legislation as strong as possible.
We all share the goal that every baby should have the best start in life.
*We are grateful to our partners who helped to shape and support this amendment: Anna Freud, Barnardo’s, Birth Companions, The First 1001 Days Movement, For Baby’s Sake Trust, Home-Start, NCB, NSPCC, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and Tessa Jowell Foundation.
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