Ministers who have previously not been entitled to take time off to be with their newborn child unless they resign will have new rights under the Ministerial and other Maternity Allowances Bill, which has undergone its first reading.

Under current laws, ministers are not entitled to maternity leave because they are appointed by the prime minister and are therefore not ‘employees’ with employment rights. Employees are entitled to certain employment rights such as maternity and paternity leave and pay, and parental leave.

Up until now, any time off has to be granted by the prime minister, but the provisions of the new Bill will allow cabinet ministers to receive up to six months’ full paid leave.

Commenting on the Bill, a Downing Street spokesperson said:

“The current rules are clearly outdated and need fixing, which is why we are introducing the Bill. At the moment women are offered the choice between either resigning from their position or taking time off to recover from childbirth, which is simply not acceptable in modern times.”

However, the new Bill hasn’t been positively received by all. The Women’s Equality Party said:

“It’s good to see government finally introducing maternity leave, but offering ministers six months on full pay while expecting most women to survive on a maternity allowance of £151.20, and failing to offer shared parental leave shows just how out of touch they are.”

Joeli Brearley, CEO of campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed, said:

“The Bill doesn’t go far enough. It is disappointing there is still no maternity or paternity leave for MPs. If the prime minister is serious about creating a gender equal Parliament, then parental leave policies for MPs are absolutely essential.”