Parents in Britain will be granted the right to bereavement leave after suffering a miscarriage as part of Labour’s changes to workers’ rights, it has been confirmed.
In a change to the law made via amendments to the employment rights bill, mothers and their partners will be given the legal right to at least one week’s bereavement leave if they have suffered a pregnancy loss before 24 weeks’ gestation.
The deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, has said that the change would give people time away from work to grieve.
Parents are already entitled to up to two weeks of bereavement leave if they experience a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy or a child dies before they turn 18.
The exact length of time off to be given to people who lose a pregnancy before 24 weeks will be specified in later legislation after a consultation.
The chief executive of the Miscarriage Association, Vicki Robinson, welcomed the announcement. She said it was “a hugely important step that acknowledges the often very significant impact of pre-24 week loss, not only for those experiencing the physical loss, but for their partners too”.
The decision to extend the right to couples marks a victory for the Labour MP Sarah Owen, who has campaigned for the change. The women and equalities select committee, which Owen chairs, concluded in a report in January that the case for it was overwhelming.
A number of employers already offer the leave as an extra benefit, but the committee said it should become a...
As a doctor and practice owner, I urge caution in expanding Pennsylvania’s False Claims Act. One reason I left the traditional insurance model was the constant threat of chargebacks and retroactive...