Cameron offers help to new mothers

David Cameron will today promise to look into giving one-to-one help to millions of new mothers after their children are born.

The party is studying proposals to send maternity nurses into homes for up to six hours a day to help women in the first week after giving birth.

It may prove to be similar to the Dutch kraamzorg system where nurses offer intensive advice on breastfeeding, bathing babies and other aspects of childcare.

The Conservative Party leader will unveil the policy as he publishes his party's review of childhood which he commissioned last year after Unicef put Britain at the bottom of a global league for the well-being of children.

The review will also include proposals to create a new system of park rangers to encourage children back into parks and playgrounds.

The plans led an attempt by the party to seize once again the political initiative after a week of embarrassing revelations the Derek Conway affair.

But Ann Keen, the health minister, said it was "irresponsible for the Tories to make unfunded and uncosted spending promises on maternity services that they cannot deliver".

Meanwhile, George Osborne, the Shadow Chancellor, used an interview with The Sunday Telegraph to attack the Government's decision to increase capital gains tax for entrepreneurs by an estimated total of £700m. He said the Conservatives would vote against the measure and hinted that it would be reversed if the Tories came to power.