The shortfall in British adoptions
The cost-of-living crisis has hurt children and prospective parents
If “Oliver Twist” were written today, it would be different in many ways. One of them might be the ending. In Charles Dickens’s novel, Oliver is adopted by Mr Brownlow, a benefactor, without any trouble. Today Mr Brownlow would go through a fine-grained background check. His mansion would be inspected for safety and he’d be strongly advised to volunteer with children. If he liked a pipe after dinner, he could end up being rejected for smoking.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Match postponed”
Britain October 26th 2024
- Britain’s prison service is caught in a doom loop
- How to hold armed police to account in Britain
- Why “The Rest Is Politics”, a British podcast, is a hit
- Britain is a world leader in pet health care
- Scotland’s failure to build homes is mainly due to its government
- The shortfall in British adoptions
- King’s Cross, a miracle in London
From the October 26th 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Britain
Has the Royal Navy become too timid?
A new paper examines how its culture has changed
A plan to reorganise local government in England runs into opposition
Turkeys vote against Christmas
David Lammy’s plan to shake up Britain’s Foreign Office
Diplomats will be tasked with growing the economy and cutting migration
Britain’s government has spooked markets and riled businesses
Tax rises were inevitable. Such a shaky start was not
Labour’s credibility trap
Who can believe Rachel Reeves?