Baby blues

THE patter of tiny feet is becoming a familiar sound in Downing Street, with David Cameron the third successive Prime Minister to be raising a young family in the corridors of power.

Despite boasting that he had already changed "hundreds" of nappies, and endured sleepless nights, since baby Florence's premature birth interrupted his family's summer holiday, Mr Cameron clearly relishes fatherhood – like Tony Blair and Gordon Brown before him. It is probably the only issue, following this week's political dramas, that unites all three men.

We wish Mr Cameron and his wife Samantha well. No-one can imagine the heartbreak that they have endured since their son Ivan's death a year ago, and that he will always be in their thoughts.

But, while the sound of young babies reflects the fact that Britain's political leaders are becoming younger on entering office for the first time, it is also a reminder – to them – about the challenges facing young families across the country and why policy needs to relentlessly focus on the young, and on making sure that they can enjoy the best possible start to life.