UK government doubles police paternity leave following reports of workplace ostracism
New directive for England and Wales forces comes amid data showing low uptake of unpaid leave weeks and growing pressure for military and civilian sector reforms
The UK government has confirmed that paid paternity leave for police officers in England and Wales will double from one week to two weeks. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the change, which aligns fathers’ leave entitlement with that of mothers, following reports that officers were mocked and ostracised for taking time off to care for their newborns.
Prior to this directive, only a quarter of police forces offered two weeks of full pay. The remaining forces provided one week on full pay and a second week on statutory pay, a structure that resulted in only 40 per cent of officers in that group taking the second week’s leave. In contrast, 88 per cent of officers in the two-week full-pay group utilised the full entitlement. Civilian staff within the Metropolitan police were already entitled to three weeks’ paternity leave at full pay.
Policing Minister Sarah Jones stated that the expansion recognises the importance of family life for officers who work tirelessly to protect the public. The government’s decision follows evidence that financial barriers significantly reduced leave uptake, prompting a move to standardise the benefit across all forces in the region.
The policy shift has intensified pressure on the government to improve paternity leave across the wider public sector. Campaigners have galvanised a push for military fathers, with Conservative peer Joanna Penn tabling an amendment to the armed forces bill to triple paternity leave to six weeks. A government-led tri-forces survey found that nearly 30 per cent of armed forces families were separated for more than three months in the previous year.
Current statutory paternity leave in the UK is two weeks at £184.03 a week, a rate described as one of the worst in Europe. An 18-month government review of the parental leave system is expected to report in December. Meanwhile, more than 20 organisations, including a group of Labour MPs, have urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chancellor Andy Burnham to commit to a broader men and boys’ agenda, citing the government’s recent launch of the first men’s health strategy for England.
