In response to a collapsing birth rate, Reform this week said it will introduce The Women & Motherhood Protection Act to strengthen women's rights, protect motherhood and preserve workplace protections. While the Act will strengthen rather than replace existing laws, it demonstrates a massive new commitment to making having a child far easier in the UK, with birth rates collapsing globally, especially in the developed world, and more noticeably among the middle class.

Some blame a collapse in religion, others the cost of balancing childcare with a job. Whatever the cause, not only could it be disastrous for future care of retirees (although we could mitigate this through a Singapore-style savings system), but fewer babies is also used by the Left to justify mass immigration.

Nigel Farage's party rightly sees sense in augmenting laws covering equal pay, sex discrimination, employment rights and maternity leave should it win the next general election. Reform said it "believes that Britain should be one of the best countries in the world to start and raise a family." The party added: "Motherhood should be celebrated, supported and protected, not treated as a disadvantage. No woman should ever be penalised for bringing the next generation into the world."

This means extending the time limit for pregnancy and maternity discrimination claims to 12 montha; preserving the principle of same pay for the same work; strengthening protections against dismissal during pregnancy and maternity leave; and enhancing redundancy protections.

Suella Braverman, Reform's Education, Skills & Equalities spokesman said: "Motherhood should be celebrated, not penalised... A Reform UK government will be the most pro-woman, pro-mother and pro-family government in British history."

From Japan to Hungary, strategies to help boost births range – from reduced taxes to housing subsidies – have met with mixed results. A national childcare service may one day be needed, but for now enhancing these laws is a terrific step in the right direction. Perhaps a cultural shift is also needed (we know religious folks have more kids) or subsidies and tax breaks. Either way, the UK won't be able to balance the books if educated people stop having children and if Leftwing governments use this to justify an open border (here's looking at you, Labour and Tories).

The policy also has Reform MP Danny Kruger's print all over it. The one-time Tory has repeatedly argued for pro-natalist policies, saying we should support couples who want to marry and have kids to reverse the downward trend in the fertility rate.

As an expectant father myself, I am cheered to see parenthood taken seriously by Reform. In Judaism, having children is considered a 'mitzvah', meaning both a commandment and/or a great deed. We need to support new mums as a matter of urgency. Reform's proposal is a great step in the right direction.