UPDATE: A stark warning has emerged regarding the future of children in Newcastle and Liverpool, as leading health expert Prof Sir Michael Marmot claims they lack the life chances of their peers in London. Speaking at a Kings Fund event last week, Marmot emphasized the urgent need for systemic change to ensure every child has equal opportunities.
According to Marmot, only 19% of parents now believe their children will fare better than they did, which he labeled an “absolute calamity.” The professor, who directs the University College London Institute of Health Equity, highlighted that parents in previous generations had a much more optimistic outlook. “If you’d asked my parent’s generation whether their children would be better off, they would have said: ‘Yes, of course,’” he stated.
Marmot’s comments come amid a new report from the Institute of Health Equity and Barnardo’s, revealing that children in England are being “failed” and endure some of the worst health outcomes in Europe. The report underscores the pressing need for the government to prioritize “equity of health and wellbeing” as a fundamental objective in all policies affecting children.
He warned that without London, the UK’s gross domestic product (GDP) is comparable to the poorest US state, emphasizing that the question shouldn’t be whether young people need to relocate for better opportunities, but rather, “How can we create the life chances in Newcastle and Liverpool that presumably young people in London have to a greater extent?”
In the report’s foreword, Marmot stated, “England is failing its children.” He pointed to alarming trends: too many children are growing up in cold, overcrowded homes, breathing polluted air, and facing food insecurity, all of which adversely affect health and development. “These are the social determinants of health,” he noted, highlighting their long-term impact on life chances.
The urgent call for action aligns with recent statements from Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who maintains that new measures introduced in the Budget will lead to the largest reduction in child poverty in parliamentary history. She asserts that her initiatives will lift children out of poverty, but experts like Marmot stress that immediate action is necessary to address the systemic health inequalities faced by children in the North East.
As these developments unfold, it is crucial for policymakers to recognize the gravity of the situation and prioritize children’s health and well-being. The future of an entire generation depends on it.
Stay tuned for more updates on this critical issue as it develops.
