The UK government has unveiled what it calls 'stronger' paternity leave rights, allowing new fathers to take time off from the very first day of a new job. However, a leading fatherhood advocate has highlighted a significant shortfall that could render the policy ineffective for many families.
The Policy Change and Its Immediate Impact
Announced as part of the ongoing Parental Leave and Pay Review in January 2026, the reform scraps the previous rule requiring fathers to have worked for their employer for at least nine months. The Department for Business and Trade estimates this will enable an additional 32,000 fathers to take leave each year.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated the move ends a period where working people lacked basic rights, ensuring 'every new parent can properly take time off.' The change addresses calls from dads seeking more time to bond with their newborn and support partners, who are often left alone shortly after childbirth under the current system.
The Critical Flaw: A Right Without Pay
Despite the progress, Alex Lloyd Hunter, co-founder of the advocacy group The Dad Shift, points to a major flaw. While fathers now have a 'day one' right to two weeks of leave, they will not be entitled to statutory paternity pay unless they meet the older service criteria. This means for many, the leave is essentially unpaid unless their employer offers enhanced support.
'It's a welcome change, but it's only a small step,' Hunter told Metro. 'It's still giving people a right to the worst paternity leave in Europe, and it doesn't come with pay. The leave is a day one right, but the pay isn't. It's nowhere near where we need to be.'
This financial barrier is substantial. Current statutory pay for eligible fathers is just £187.18 per week, or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. Hunter notes this amounts to only about 40% of the minimum wage. Research by the campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed suggests 70.6% of fathers who cut their leave short do so because they cannot afford more time off.
Calls for Comprehensive Reform and the Forgotten Self-Employed
Campaigners argue genuine reform must include properly paid leave accessible to all. Hunter advocates for statutory pay from day one, increased to near full salary, and an extension of leave to at least six weeks initially. The physical recovery period for mothers, especially after a caesarean section which can involve a six-week driving ban, underscores why two weeks is insufficient for many families.
The policy also completely overlooks self-employed fathers, who receive no statutory paternity pay. 'Self-employed fathers get absolutely no paternity pay whatsoever,' Hunter explained, sharing that while he saved to take eight weeks off, it was a 'huge financial hit' many cannot afford.
The Parental Leave and Pay Review, launched in July 2025, is set to conclude in late 2026, leaving room for further announcements. In the meantime, some leading UK companies are setting their own high standards, with firms like Bain & Company, Diageo, and Aviva offering up to 52 weeks of paid paternity leave.
While the government's move aligns with a broader societal shift, the absence of guaranteed pay threatens to perpetuate a system where paternity leave remains a privilege, not a practical right for all UK fathers.
