Labour: Paternity leave reforms would help 400,000 families

Labour said adopting reforms to boost paternity leave for fathers, first put forward by the left-leaning IPPR think tank last year, would benefit up to 400,000 families a year.

Under existing rules new fathers qualify for a statutory £138.18 a week, equivalent to £3.45 an hour for a 40-hour week, with employers encouraged to make up the gap in the employee's usual pay.

Only just over half of new fathers (55%) take it up at present, Bringing the taxpayer-funded contribution up to minimum wage level would increase take-up to around 70%, the IPPR estimates, at a cost to the Treasury of around £150 million in 2015/16.