The UK government is to put family planning at the heart of its approach to women’s health in the developing world, international development secretary Andrew Mitchell has said.

The new approach will see a “significant increase” in the availability of family planning and a new focus on maternal and newborn health, accompanied by a “wide ranging” consultation exercise. Initial responses from development agencies have been largely positive, although there is concern that the focus on newborns will be at the expense of health care for under fives.

Mr Mitchell’s department estimates there are currently 215 million women in the developing world who would like to delay or avoid their …