Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Shared parental leavePaternityPolitical elections

Labour would double paternity leave and pay

by Rob Moss 9 Feb 2015
by Rob Moss 9 Feb 2015 Ed Miliband plans to improve paternity leave and pay for new fathers. Photo: Ben Cawthra/REX
Ed Miliband plans to improve paternity leave and pay for new fathers. Photo: Ben Cawthra/REX

A future Labour government would double statutory paternity leave and pay, under election plans announced today.

New fathers would have the right to take four weeks’ paternity leave, an increase from the current two weeks, and receive statutory paternity pay of £260 per week, (it is currently £138).

Paternity leave and pay resources

Statutory paternity pay rates

Advise an employee on the qualifying criteria for ordinary paternity leave and pay in relation to a birth child

Decide the organisation’s policy on shared parental leave and pay

Parents of babies due on or after 5 April 2015 now qualify for new rights to shared parental leave and pay, where a mother can transfer her maternity leave and pay to her partner. Additional paternity leave and pay are being abolished.

Labour leader Ed Miliband will announce today: “Too many dads don’t take up their rights because they feel they have to go back to work so they can provide for their family. So today we are announcing plans to double paid paternity leave and ensure the money available is as good as the national minimum wage.”

The opposition said the move will be funded by a reduction in the amount of tax credits paid to working families as they take advantage of a planned increase in state-funded childcare from 15 to 25 hours per week.

Labour added that research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) suggests that offering four weeks’ paid paternity leave will cost £150 million per year, assuming a take-up of 70%, up from the current 55%.

The IPPR’s Condition of Britain report originally outlined the plans last summer.

However, business groups have criticised Labour’s plans. “Expansions of parental leave may win votes, but come at a real cost to business,” said John Longworth, the director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce.

Too many dads don’t take up their rights because they feel they have to go back to work so they can provide for their family” – Ed Miliband

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Rachel Reeves, the shadow work and pensions secretary, told the BBC that good employers will support Labour’s plans: “This is exactly what people used to say about maternity leave, that it was a big burden on businesses. But the reality is, what good businesses know, is that it is really important to keep women in the workplace once they have children and not let them drift off because they can’t manage work and family life. That’s increasingly the case for dads.”

The Liberal Democrats announced plans for six weeks’ paternity leave last year.

Rob Moss

Rob Moss is a business journalist with more than 25 years' experience. He has been editor of Personnel Today since 2010. He joined the publication in 2006 as online editor of the award-winning website. Rob specialises in labour market economics, gender diversity and family-friendly working. He has hosted hundreds of webinar and podcasts. Before writing about HR and employment he ran news and feature desks on publications serving the global optical and eyewear market, the UK electrical industry, and energy markets in Asia and the Middle East.

previous post
Tribunal watch: Church deacon’s unsuccessful unfair dismissal claim against pastor wife
next post
Holiday pay: employment tribunal hears case on inclusion of commission

You may also like

Government urged to commit to wholesale review of...

6 May 2025

Reform UK councils’ staff face WFH ban

6 May 2025

April 2025: What’s coming up for HR?

21 Mar 2025

MP urges rethink on ‘ladies do babies’ approach...

6 Mar 2025

New neonatal care leave rules will help 60,000...

6 Feb 2025

Employers taking action on sick pay and parental...

20 Dec 2024

Baby steps: Neonatal care leave and pay 

20 Dec 2024

2024: the year’s biggest news in employment and...

13 Dec 2024

Goldman Sachs banker wins case over paternity leave...

5 Dec 2024

Fewer than 2% of dads take shared parental...

2 Dec 2024

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+