PETITIONClosedPetition · petition.parliament.uk
Improve statutory paternity leave in the UK to better support families.
1. Extend statutory paternity leave to a minimum of six weeks. 2. Increase statutory paternity pay to full income replacement. 3. Make it a legal requirement for employers to offer flexible arrangements to employees taking paternity leave (e.g. taking in chunks)
Last fetched 03 May 2026 · petition.parliament.uk
Signatures
2,669
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 2,669/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 2,669/100,000
Background
We think the current statutory provisions for paternity leave are insufficient in length and pay, failing to adequately support new fathers and partners during the critical early weeks of a child’s life. We think this contributes to inequality in shared parenting responsibilities and undermines family wellbeing.