21-05-2025
JENNI MURRAY: There will be no grandchildren unless we listen to Kate's plan - it could still save Britain
When I was pregnant with my second son, I was a presenter on Radio 4's Today programme. I was on a freelance contract with no concessions to one's personal life and knew full well maternity leave was out of the question.
This was June 1987, in the midst of a hard-fought election campaign. I managed to persuade the Tory MP Norman Tebbit I was unlikely to go into labour during our interview and wouldn't require his assistance in childbirth, although he assured me he had lots of experience. (Strange how the sight of a hugely pregnant belly can make even the hardest men go all soppy.) I presented Today on Monday morning and began to go into labour late that day, giving birth to Charlie at home. I spent the rest of the week getting to know him, before going back on my radio presenting shift the following Saturday.
