On 1 July 2025, the Government launched a full review of parental leave and pay. This comes after hundreds of fathers took to the streets of London last month to demand better paternity leave – read more about this here.
The review will examine maternity, paternity and shared parental leave and pay, gathering views from parents, employers and experts to produce a roadmap for possible reforms. The review is expected to report its findings and recommendations in January 2027.
Under current rules, statutory maternity pay is 90% of a mother’s average weekly earnings for the first six weeks, then either £187.18 a week or the same 90% figure for the next 33 weeks (whichever is lower).
Shared parental leave, which was introduced in 2015, allows parents to split 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay following the birth or adoption of a child.
The government hopes that any changes following the review will improve uptake of shared parental leave.
The launch of the review coincides with a series of measures for working parents included in the Employment Rights Bill, which is currently making its way through parliament (please see our Employment Rights Bill Tracker). Among the proposals are the introduction of a day-one right to paternity leave and unpaid parental leave.
If you need any advice on this matter please contact us on 0345 646 0406 or complete an online enquiry form, and a member of the team will be in touch.