David Cameron’s frank plea for black fathers to take up their responsibilities echoed those made by Barack Obama in America. The Conservative leader’s bravery in tackling such a controversial subject is an indication of his growing confidence with the themes of family and welfare.

Cameron’s statements were more measured than Obama’s and he managed the near-impossible feat of not playing to the well-known stereotypes of black fathers. I believe this is one of the main reasons why he has found support among black people. Many of us have waited a long time for the problem of absent fathers to come on to the political agenda in a meaningful rather than a token fashion. The left wants to brand all black men as victims because it needs “someone to save”. Political correctness has meant that sections of the black community have been excused from asking themselves some of the tough questions.

The people who can tell you most about the failings of black fathers are black mothers who have had to pick up the slack – a heavy burden, not least because of the discrimination and economic disadvantage that they face. I watched my own mother struggle with bringing up my brother and me alone; it took the input of my entire extended family to do so.

The chances of a black child growing up in a fatherless family are shockingly high – about 58%, compared with 22% for a white child. It would therefore be wrong for anyone in the black community to deny that we have a big problem with fatherlessness.

Marriage is statistically low among black parents and this has important consequences because married couples, regardless of social status, are far more likely to remain a couple than are cohabiting adults. Children who live with both parents are less likely to suffer poverty and ill-health and are more likely to do well at school.

To react to Cameron’s comments by suggesting that, by omission, he was saying that all white fathers look after their children would be childish. Plainly this is not the case. Let us not forget that we live in a country that for the past 10 years has tried hard to replace families with the state, parents with rules and fathers with the benefit system. The government’s concentration on children as opposed to family and the onslaught against marriage by the liberal intelligentsia has led to a change in the relationship between parent, child and state.

All the government’s proposals for young people involve putting more professionals in their lives rather than encouraging them to spend more meaningful time with their families. Many parents feel they have been robbed of the right to guide and discipline their children.

Our benefit system penalises married couples and our housing policy prevents young men from being housed, thus detaching them from stability and forcing them to abandon efforts to support any family they might have. It is far easier to get housed as a single mother than as a couple. As a lot of young black men rely on social housing, this increases the chances of noncontact between father and family.

One word of caution: fatherhood as an institution has been downgraded everywhere; fathers are treated as an optional extra rather than a necessity. This is a growing problem for white families, too, so please don’t sit there with the cosy notion that fatherlessness happens only to black people. How many people do you know who are single mothers with little or no meaningful input from the father?

I would like to end on a positive note for black fathers. I have 19 years of youth and community experience and, in the past three years, I have seen a rise in the responsibilities taken by young black fathers. This is a trend that I believe will continue and an indication of this is how welcome Cameron’s comments were for black people.

Much of the knife crime that we are suffering is based on the misconception that young boys have of what it is to be a successful man. When there is no positive masculine presence in a young boy’s life he becomes exposed to the negative messages in popular culture. Much of the amoral sexual behaviour of girls is directly linked to the lack of exposure to a meaningful and nonsexual relationship with a man. This leads to them mistaking sexual advances for genuine affection. There are some problems for our young people that fathers are best placed to answer. This is why fatherhood, both black and white, has become a political issue.

The causes of absent fatherhood are varied, but the overriding theme in addressing the problem should be personal responsibility and the realisation that thriving families are the bedrock of all successful nations. It won’t be lost on you how many times I have used the word family. Fatherhood, as much as motherhood, is about family and both are equally important. However much our culture has evolved, this fact remains unchanged.

The author is Conservative parliamentary candidate for Hammersmith

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