Nearly 50 charities, trade unions, and academics have urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to reform Britain’s parental leave system to better support families financially. In a letter sent to the prime minister on Wednesday, 48 organisations—including the Fawcett Society, Movember, the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Unite, Unison, and Save the Children—called for changes aimed at making it economically viable to have children in the UK.
The letter highlights that the current statutory parental leave and pay provisions in Britain are among the least generous in Europe, with paternity leave described as particularly inadequate. Fathers are entitled to just two weeks of paid leave, capped at £194 per week, a level the signatories argue is insufficient for many to take time off work.
Citing a 2025 report by the charity Maternity Action, the letter states that 55 percent of women on maternity leave reported having to borrow money to cover basic living costs during this period. Further, a 2026 study by the Resolution Foundation found that one-third of millennial women born between 1989 and 1990 postponed motherhood due to affordability concerns. The Office for National Statistics reported that the fertility rate in England and Wales has declined to 1.39 children per woman, the lowest recorded level to date.
The letter urges Burnham to address a system that forces parents to choose between spending crucial time caring for their newborn and maintaining sufficient income. “This is not just a question of how we support families in the first year of a child’s life,” the letter reads. “It is about what kind of society and economy we want to build.”
The Labour government has already initiated a review of parental leave, which began in July 2025. The organisations hope this review will lead to reforms that improve access to parental leave and adequate pay, enabling more families to balance caregiving responsibilities with financial stability.
No direct response from the prime minister’s office was available at the time of publication.