[user104658]

Originally Posted by Cherie

seems an alien concept....

You can't have a society where having kids is broadly unaffordable, tell British people not to have children if they can't independently afford it, insist on lower migration numbers, and expect a functional economy.

Declining populations are not economically functional, to keep a population static or increasing you need to either let British people have more kids, or accept more immigration. There is no option number 3. I agree in principle that having children should be affordable for the people having them, but the situation in the UK currently is that if that was adhered to, birth rates would be so low that it would be unsustainable for more than a few decades.

It's a simple fact that in 2025 most couples of "child bearing age" can't independently afford to run a family home. Which is a shocking situation for the country, not an individual failing.