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 edition
In praise of flag-shagging
To govern Britain, it helps to like it

How Britain decides which drugs to buy
The NHS can’t afford all the latest miracle drugs. A quango decides who misses out

Are hits like “Adolescence” good or bad for Britain?
Commissions by streaming services are a mixed blessing for British production companies
The splintering of British politics
Nine months into power, the Labour Party has haemorrhaged support
Birmingham’s bin strikes reveal local problems—and a national one
Rubbish policy and rubbish on the streets
Britain’s government has entered the steel industry with no plan
Even its strongest argument, national security, needs closer scrutiny