In an unusual parliamentary spectacle, dozens of MPs will deliver deliberately cringe-worthy dad jokes in the House of Commons this Thursday to spotlight what they call the "real joke" of UK paternity leave.
The Serious Message Behind Parliamentary Puns
The tongue-in-cheek demonstration, organised by campaign group The Dad Shift and construction community On the Tools, coincides with International Men's Day and aims to draw attention to what campaigners describe as a growing class crisis in parental rights.
According to George Gabriel, co-founder of The Dad Shift, the UK's statutory paternity pay of £187.18 per week represents the least generous offer in Europe, ranking 40th out of 43 countries surveyed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
"A system that gives dads less than half the minimum wage is not designed to be used by working fathers," Gabriel stated. "It's outrageous that these folk are priced out of even the paltry two weeks offered by the UK."
Shocking Statistics Reveal Deep Inequalities
New analysis of HMRC data reveals stark disparities in who can afford to take time off with their newborns. The figures show that 90% of paternity leave claims in 2024-25 came from fathers in the UK's top half of earners - those typically earning more than £37,800 annually.
The situation is even more extreme for Shared Parental Leave (SPL), with 95% of claims made by fathers or partners in the top earnings bracket. Of the 22,700 SPL claims analysed, only about 5% came from the bottom half of earners, with no claims whatsoever from the lowest 20% of earners.
A survey of 2,000 people conducted by Opinium for The Dad Shift found that 64% of fathers expressed concern about the income disparity in paternity leave uptake, while 58% agreed that access to time with newborns was becoming "a class issue".
Geographic Disparities Compound the Problem
The campaign group's research uncovered what they describe as "huge geographic disparities" across the UK. The analysis shows that the southeast and London received as much in SPL payments as Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the northwest, the northeast and Yorkshire and the Humber combined.
Alistair Strathern, Labour MP for Hitchin, noted the significance of so many MPs participating in the unusual protest. "There's been a heartening recognition from the frontbench about the current inequities in the system, which almost hardwires a gendered approach to parenting," he said.
Strathern pointed to the government's review of parental leave, announced in July and expected to take approximately 18 months, as evidence that his party was listening to fathers' concerns.
Liberal Democrat MP Freddie Van Mierlo, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on fatherhood, added: "I backed this debate because we need to send a message loud and clear: this isn't good enough and something needs to be done."
The parliamentary debate, organised by MP Josh Newbury, a father of two, represents a growing recognition that current paternity leave arrangements are failing low and middle-income families across the United Kingdom.
