The UK Christian Institute:

More British children are being raised by single parents because the tax and benefit system “encourages transient shack-ups”.

One in five British children live with a single mother or father. This figure is some 35 per cent higher than in Germany and 50 per cent higher than in France.

Researcher and author Patricia Morgan points out that these are the countries whose tax and benefits systems reward parents who stay together.

She said: “You can look at these figures and see immediately which countries help couples through tax and benefits.

“In France, people get help if they draw up legal family contracts. In Germany, Holland and Italy, married people get tax relief and tax relief for children.”

She added: “By contrast, our system encourages transient shack-ups.”