The government has announced ‘stronger’ paternity leave rights for new fathers in the UK, but co-founder of advocacy group, The Dad Shift, Alex Lloyd Hunter, warns it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
The change means new fathers can now take two weeks paternity leave from day one of starting a new job, something the Department for Business and Trade claims will give 32,000 more dads time off each year.
Previous stipulations meant that fathers were only entitled to this leave if they’d been at their place of work for nine months or longer.
The changes are part of the government’s Parental Leave and Pay Review, which is assessing the current system to see how it can work better for parents and employers.
Dads have been campaigning for more time to bond with their babies, but also to better support their partners, as the current system means women are often left home alone with a newborn after the life-changing experience of childbirth.
The latest announcement is certainly a move in the right direction — but according to Alex, there’s one major flaw. The fathers who take this leave won’t be entitled to statutory paternity pay — this mean, if they do take their leave, it’s essentially unpaid, unless their company provides financial support.
While Alex tells Metro that the new rights are a ‘welcome change,’ he adds that ‘it’s only a small step’ in the right direction.
‘It’s still giving people a right to the worst paternity leave in Europe, and it doesn’t come with pay,’ he says. ‘The leave is a day one right, but the pay isn’t.
‘It’s nowhere near where we need to be.’
More leave and better pay
So, what needs to change?
Alex explains statutory paternity pay would be a good place to start, regardless of how long you’ve been in a job.
The current weekly rate (for those who have been in their job for nine months or more) is just £187.18, or 90% of your average weekly earnings (whichever is lower).
‘Ultimately, it would be better if they got the statutory pay [than nothing at all], but it’s still only 40% of the minimum wage,’ he says.
‘That is why it’s so important that the government goes ahead and actually brings the pay up to full, or near full salary, and extends paternity leave initially to at least six weeks and then longer.’
Of course, this paternity leave policy does nothing to help self-employed fathers, like Alex, who don’t have company pay or statutory paternity pay.
‘Self-employed fathers get absolutely no paternity pay whatsoever,’ he explains. ‘I was fortunate to be able to save up and take eight weeks, and that time was totally invaluable, but it was a huge financial hit.
‘And the reality is there are a lot of self-employed people who can’t afford the hit of even a single day off work, and they’re some of the worst hit by the system at the moment.’
Alex adds The Dad Shift is also calling for self-employed people to get paternity pay, which is common across Europe.
Two weeks is also an incredibly short time for a father to spend off work, especially when you consider that a woman who has had a c-section typically won’t be able to drive for six weeks. The only option for many mothers who need to attend hospital appointments is to lug a buggy onto public transport – also not recommended after major surgery.
Of course, the Parental Leave and Pay Review only launched in July 2025, and is intended to take 18 months to conclude, so more changes to the system could be announced in the future.
What does the government say?
Prime Minister Keir Starmer commented on the change, saying: ‘For too long, working people were left without the basic rights and security they deserve. That ends now.
‘The changes we’re bringing in will mean every new parent can properly take time off when they have a child.’
But with just 29% of fathers being able to access enhanced paternity leave pay around the birth of their most recent child, according to Pregnant Then Screwed, it’s likely men will still be forced to skip paternity leave altogether.
In fact, 70.6% of fathers who only used part of their paternity leave entitlement revealed it was because they couldn’t afford to stay off any longer.
Six UK companies that give dads 52 weeks paid paternity leave
- Bain & Company – the global consultancy firm, decided to offer equal parental leave for all its employees in the UK. This means that new parents, regardless of gender or how they became parents, are eligible for 52 weeks of leave. Here, the first 29 weeks of that leave are fully paid, with it dropping after seven months (though still paid).
- Diageo – in 2020, alcohol producer Diageo also introduced 52 weeks paternity leave for all parents. The first 26 weeks of this paternity leave are fully paid with it dropping after six months.
- Mars Inc – if you’ve worked for Mars UK for more than a year you can also get your hands on 52 weeks of pat leave. While the deal isn’t quite as generous as its competitors, you still get 26 weeks paid at 90% of your yearly salary before it decreases further.
- AVIVA – allows you to take 52 weeks of paternity leave, with 26 weeks at full pay. This is the case even if you and your partner both work there – no need to share the time off.
- Manifest – this marketing company give father 52 weeks off all at 90% pay.
- Zurich Insurance – it gives you 52 weeks off, with 16 weeks at full pay before it drops to 90% for the rest of your time off
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