The Labour government has announced it is extending paternity pay and I’m really pleased and proud to be part of the campaign to achieve this.
Self-employed dads and partners will now receive two weeks of paternity support worth up to £194 per week.
The move will benefit more than 160,000 additional parents who have previously missed out, forcing many to go straight back to work after their children are born.
Campaign
I’ve been campaigning for a fairer paternity system for families since becoming an MP, and I used my maiden speech in the House of Commons and my first PMQ to push for ambitious reform of parental leave.
I’ve been working with other MPs and campaign group The Dad Shift to press the Prime Minister, Chancellor and government to go further, and I believe this is an important win for families.
I’ve been banging the drum for better paternity leave for a long time, and one of the biggest injustices has been the complete lack of support for self-employed dads and non-birthing parents.
For those who work for themselves, having a baby can mean they must make a difficult choice – take those precious first days at home and lose income, or go straight back to work.
Lobbying
I’m so pleased my lobbying has been taken on board because this will make such a huge difference to so many families, enabling partners to give mums the support they need and all parents to build vital bonds with their babies.
Our work will continue, however, as there is much more to be done to bring the UK on a par with other countries.
I’ll keep campaigning for at least six weeks at 90% of pay because I want us to be more ambitious in establishing a system that gives families the best start in life.
This is a really important first step, though, and I know so many self-employed partners will be delighted.
