Fathers ‘betrayed’ by Labour workers’ rights bill, say paternity leave campaigners
New fathers have been “betrayed” by Labour’s flagship employment rights bill, campaigners have said, after it emerged that a promised “day one” right to paternity leave will not include the right to statutory pay,The Guardian has learned that while the bill will give an estimated 30,000 more new dads each year statutory paternity leave, they will still need to have worked for the same employer for at least nine months before being eligible for statutory paternity pay,The revelation has caused anger in Labour ranks and among campaigners for better paternity leave, and sparked manoeuvres to try to force ministers to change course, with a flurry of amendments tabled when the bill comes to the Lords for debate on Tuesday,The Fatherhood Institute, which is campaigning for six weeks’ well-paid leave in the baby’s first year, described the lack of day one rights to pay for new fathers as a “betrayal”,Kathy Jones, the CEO of the charity, said ministers had repeatedly pointed to the employment rights bill as a significant step towards a better system and suggested further policy would come after their parental leave review later this year.
“Making paternity leave and pay a day one right – and the promise of bigger changes – felt like a sign of good faith, after many years of this important policy area being totally neglected,” she said.“So to find out the pay element isn’t included feels like a betrayal.”On Tuesday, the Labour peer Ruth Lister will ask for an amendment calling for the government’s promised parental leave review to consider introducing a Scandinavian-style “daddy month” of reserved parental leave, with better pay and including self-employed fathers.“The partial extension of day one rights does not touch the sides when it comes to the current shoddy treatment of fathers,” she said.“So long as women carry so much of the responsibility for childcare in the private sphere, they enter the public sphere of the labour market with one hand tied behind their back.
”Joanna Penn, a Conservative peer, will also table an amendment in the Lords that would result in new fathers being entitled to statutory parental pay from day one of a new job.“The government says it is introducing the new day one right to paternity leave, but without any funding for paternity pay it’s just hot air,” she said.“The low rate of statutory parental pay already makes it impossible for many dads to take leave, but how many can afford to take two weeks off completely unpaid?”The Labour MP Stella Creasy, who helped secure a government review of all parental-leave rights by next year in the employment rights bill, said that if the government only improved maternity rights, they would only entrench maternity discrimination.“Many parliamentarians understand the need to make sure that women are not penalised for having babies, and men need time with their children – that’s good for the economy and good for parents,” she said.Sign up to Headlines UKGet the day’s headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morningafter newsletter promotionA groundswell of support for better rights for fathers is growing in Westminster, with dozens of Labour MPs joining forces with the campaign group the Dad Shift.
Campaigners have long argued that the UK has one of the least generous paternity offers in the world, with the UK ranked 40th out of 43 OECD countries,Employed fathers in the UK get two weeks’ statutory paternity leave paid at £187,18 a week (less than half the “national living wage”), which accounts for only 1,9% of all government spending on parental leave,A government spokesperson said: “Our plan for change is on the side of working parents, which is why we are making paternity leave and unpaid parental leave day one rights under the employment rights bill.
We’re also committed to carrying out a review of wider statutory parental leave to ensure it offers the best possible support to families.”
Drugmaker AstraZeneca shifts more production to US amid Trump tariffs
AstraZeneca said it was shifting the production of some medicines sold in the US from Europe to the US, to counter the impact of Donald Trump’s trade tariffs.Speaking as the company reported higher sales and profits for the first quarter, the FTSE 100 pharma company reiterated that the UK, and the rest of Europe, risked losing out to the US and China unless they ramped up spending on new medicines. Pascal Soriot, AstraZeneca’s chief executive, warned that well-paid advanced manufacturing and research jobs could move to the US in the long run.While the industry is holding its breath in case of threatened US tariffs on the pharma sector, which has been largely exempt from duties under a 1995 World Trade Organization agreement aimed at keeping medicines affordable, Soriot said the impact on AstraZeneca would be limited.If tariffs were imposed in the range announced against imports from other industries from Europe to the US, the drugmaker would still be able to achieve its targets this year, as it has built up inventories in the US, he said
HSBC sounds alarm on trade war; Trump to soften blow of automotive tariffs – business live
Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy.Companies around the world are calculating the impact of Donald Trump’s trade war, and today we’re hearing from one of the world’s largest banks.HSBC has set aside more money for bad debts this morning, warning that the economic outlook has deteriorated due to “geopolitical tensions and higher trade tariffs”.HSBC has increased its expected credit losses (ECL) to $900m in the first quarter of 2025, which is $200m higher than in January-March 2024, as it lifted its provisions for debts going sour.This helped to knock HSBC’s profits for the quarter down by around a quarter, to $9
Elon Musk’s Doge conflicts of interest worth $2.37bn, Senate report says
Elon Musk and his companies face at least $2.37bn in legal exposure from federal investigations, litigation and regulatory oversight, according to a new report from Senate Democrats. The report attempts to put a number to Musk’s many conflicts of interest through his work with his so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge), warning that he may seek to use his influence to avoid legal liability.The report, which was published on Monday by Democratic members of the Senate homeland security committee’s permanent subcommittee on investigations, looked at 65 actual or potential actions against Musk across 11 separate agencies. Investigators calculated the financial liabilities Musk and his companies, such as Tesla, SpaceX and Neuralink, may face in 45 of those actions
Self-service tills: a bleeping pain or brilliant? | Letters
Thank you, Hilary Freeman, for catching and coining the central movement which is sickening us all: “the slow erosion of human contact that heralds the dehumanisation of yet another society” (Hell is not other people – it’s being stuck in the ninth circle of an automated telephone service, 22 April).We need it, we will die without it. For Freeman, it comes with the introduction of ATMs to Tuvalu; for me, it’s the self-checkout tills of the Co-op around the corner. I used to chat to Brenda. I can’t do it now, and something dies inside me
Madrid Open tennis resumes after chaos caused by massive power outage
The Madrid Open resumed on Tuesday afternoon after a massive power outage left Spain and Portugal without electricity on Monday and forced the tournament to suspend all matches after 90 minutes of play. After about 10 hours without electricity and mobile internet for most people in Madrid, power to homes and phones returned late on Monday night, prompting widespread cheers in the streets. However, the Caja Mágica, which is situated in the southern neighbourhood of San Fermín, remained without power overnight.At 7am, the Madrid Open announced that the opening of the gates had been delayed. An hour later, power was finally restored
Nat Sciver-Brunt named England Women’s captain and vows to empower team
Nat Sciver-Brunt has said she will empower her players to be the “best version of themselves” after being appointed as the new captain of the England women’s team. As first reported by the Guardian last week, the 32-year-old all-rounder has stepped up to fill the vacancy left by Heather Knight’s departure in March, the first appointment by the new head coach, Charlotte Edwards.Sciver-Brunt, who is on parental leave after her wife, the former England seamer Katherine Brunt, gave birth, said: “I’m really proud to take on the role and it’s an honour to have been asked by Charlotte, someone I’ve always looked up to. I have wanted to do is help the team in every way that I can.“I will try my best to lead this team to success, whilst empowering them to be the best version of themselves
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