The single most important factor in a child’s healthy development is the stable relationship of the parents. On every measure of successful development, including happiness, children from stable families fare best.

The UK has almost the highest rate of family breakdown in Europe and the cost shows no sign of decreasing. 60% of lone parents are on Housing benefit versus only 10% of intact couples.

Such stability is invariably found within marriage. By the age of 16, 36% of the UK’s children do not live with both their birth parents. But they are three times more likely to do so if their parents are married.

Divorce rates have plummeted over the past 3 decades, but the number of lone parents has doubled in the same period. Why?... Because unmarried parents make up only one in five cohabiting parents but are responsible for one half of all family breakdown.

Family breakdown is a social justice issue, with its appalling pain and distress, it’s at an epidemic level and lies at the root of almost all society’s problems. It particularly affects our children and it’s the primary cause of inequality. It costs the country over £50bn pa.