Petition · Department for Work and Pensions
Remove the 26-week rule & allow fathers to take paternity leave immediately.
Closed
34 signatures
What the petition asks
As it stands, prospective fathers are only eligible for statutory paternity leave if they have been employed for 26 weeks by the "qualifying week", which may prevent job changes during pregnancy. I call on the Government to remove the restrictions around qualifying for Statutory Paternity Leave.
Many individuals change jobs throughout the course of their lives. Having paid our appropriate contributions through our salaries, prospective fathers are currently ineligible for Statutory Paternity Leave or Pay for two weeks because we have not been with a new employer long enough. Given our contributions, I believe this is unfair against the father and I call for this to change.
Timeline
| 11 Apr 2025 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 11 Oct 2025 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
34
Status
Closed
Department
Department for Work and Pensions
Opened
11 Apr 2025
Closed
11 Oct 2025
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 29 Aug 2026.