New statutory rates proposed for 2026
The proposed rates for Statutory Sick Pay and other family leave-related payments have been published. It is anticipated that the new rates will take effect from 6 April 2026. The changes are as follows:
- Statutory Sick Pay will rise from £118.75 per week to £123.25 per week
- Statutory maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption, parental bereavement, and neonatal care pay will rise from £187.18 per week to £194.32 per week
Additionally, the lower earnings level required to qualify for the various family leave-related payments will increase from £125 per week to £129 per week.
Paternity Leave (Bereavement) Act 2024 in force
The Paternity Leave (Bereavement) Act 2024 ("the Act") came into force on 29 December. The Act makes provision for leave for bereaved partners of mothers or adopters who have died in childbirth, or within a year of a birth or adoption. It also applies in surrogacy or parental order situations.
With effect from 29 December, the current 26-week service requirement for paternity leave will be removed in these specific circumstances. The restriction on taking both shared parental leave and paternity leave will also be removed, again in these circumstances.
Further changes made by the Act, relating to the disapplication of the requirement for paternity leave to be for the purposes of caring for a child or supporting the mother, include the introduction of Keeping in Touch days and enhanced redundancy protection after the leave. These changes require additional regulations to be made. It is anticipated that those regulations will also extend the period of paternity leave in these specific circumstances to 52 weeks.
Whistleblowing framework to be reviewed by 2027
As part of its UK anti-corruption strategy, the UK Government has published a policy paper confirming its intention to review the current whistleblowing framework. The paper includes expressions of concern that the current legal protections are not working as effectively as hoped. There is no detail on what the review will include, but it does state that opportunities for reform will be explored by 2027.
