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Dads Went On Strike – Now, Parental Leave Might Be Getting An Overhaul

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A matter of weeks after the world’s first ‘DadStrike’, where parents gathered to protest the UK’s statutory paternity leave offer, the UK government has announced a review of the parental leave and pay system.

The review will look at the whole system – from maternity and paternity leave to shared parental leave – to see how it can work better for parents and employers.

Views will be gathered from parents, employers and experts across the country, culminating in a roadmap for possible reforms, with the aim being to better support families and grow the economy.

Campaigners have hailed the move as “the best chance in a generation” to improve the system.

Why is it needed?

In a press release, the UK government acknowledged that the current parental leave system is complicated and doesn’t always give families the support they need.

One in three dads don’t take paternity leave because they can’t afford to, and take-up of shared parental leave remains very low.

Yet research shows that better parental leave can help close the gender pay gap and boost the economy.

In March this year, mothers opened up about how the UK’s statutory maternity pay offering is not enough to meet the basic costs of living, making it “impossible to live a good life”.

In the UK, statutory maternity pay is paid for up to 39 weeks and parents get 90% of their average weekly earnings (before tax) for the first six weeks, followed by £184.03 or 90% of their average weekly earnings (whichever is lower) for the next 33 weeks.

This is less than half the weekly National Living Wage.

On top of this, analysis of shared parental leave found uptake is skewed towards higher earners – with The Dad Shift, the campaign group behind DadStrike, previously telling the BBC it is “failing working families”.

“Supporting working parents isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s vital for our economy.”

– Angela Rayner

Discussing the new review, deputy prime minister Angela Rayner said: “Those early years are the most special time for families, but too many struggle to balance their work and home lives.

“Supporting working parents isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s vital for our economy.”

The announcement follows a series of changes already progressing in the Employment Rights Bill to improve parental leave and pay.

These include: making paternity leave, unpaid parental leave and flexible working ‘a day one right’; enabling paternity leave and pay to be taken after shared parental leave and pay; and enhancing dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers returning to work.

Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “Campaigners have long called for change, and this government has listened. This review is our chance to reset the system and build something that works for modern families and businesses.”

George Gabriel, co-founder of The Dad Shift, told HuffPost UK the review is “the best chance in a generation to improve the system and make sure it actually works for working families”.

“When the last Labour government introduced paternity leave it was groundbreaking. But that offer, unchanged since, is now the least generous in Europe,” he added.

“Our broken parental leave has been overlooked for years, and finally sorting it out would be good not only for parents and children but for businesses too.”

Rachel Grocott, CEO of Pregnant Then Screwed, the campaign group behind 2022′s March of the Mummies, demanding reform of childcare, flexible working and parental leave, said: “It is great to see this long overdue review of the parental leave system. It’s time for the voices of mums, dads, parents and carers everywhere to be heard.

“After 6 weeks mothers are forced to survive maternity leave on 44% less then the National Minimum Wage, and dads are forced to suck up the same benefits for their 2 weeks.

“Yet we know improving parental leave helps children get the best start in life, as well as being better for parents’ heath and equality at home, and closing gender pay and participation gaps in the workplace too.

“Investing in parental leave will pay back above and beyond, to the bottom line and to society: it really is a no-brainer.”

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More Than 18,000 Russian Troops Reported AWOL Since Putin Invaded Ukraine, UK Says

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More than 18,000 Russian soldiers have been reported to the courts for being absent without leave since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, the UK says.

According to the latest update on X from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), 18,159 troops have been faced with a decade-long prison sentence for going AWOL between February 2022 and May 2025.

That is a criminal offence in Russia and a staggering 17,721 (86.2%) of those soldiers were prosecuted.

Citing Russian independent news outlet Mediazona, the MoD said a further 2,379 soldiers were reported to the courts for desertion or refusing orders.

The British officials pointed out there are multiple reasons a soldier could desert.

“Brutal discipline in the Russian Armed Forces, poor medical treatment for injured soldiers and inadequate military training all likely contribute,” the MoD said.

Putin’s soldiers could end up serving on the frontline against Ukraine within 14 days of signing a contract – and just five days of relevant military training.

The MoD continued: “This all runs counter to the official narrative that the Russian leadership values the military service of those who fight in Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.

“It is a realistic possibility that those prosecuted could commute their sentence by serving in the Russian Storm-Z convict assault units.”

There have been multiple reports of low morale among Russian troops ever since Putin invaded.

In 2023, UK intelligence suggested thousands of Russian casualties in Ukraine were linked to “alcohol consumption” and that soldiers could be “coerced” into joining to boost recruitment numbers.

Despite this chaos within the Russian forces, Putin is still dragging his heels over possible ceasefire talks with Ukraine – even when US mediators suggest terms more favourable to Moscow than Kyiv.

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‘Millions Can’t Buy Class And Taste’: The Bezos Wedding Has Ended, And The Verdict Is Brutal

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The many protestors who spoke out against Bezos’ Venice wedding took issue with the event for reasons far more significant than the couple’s taste level.

But I can’t help but wonder if they found a newfound ardour after their dubiously designed invites came out.

“Truly fascinating how money seems to destroy taste,” an X posted soon after ABC News shared the butterfly-adorned sheet.

Perhaps predictably, the rest of the event has received a similar response.

“Millennial grey Amazon warehouse carpet at your billionaire wedding is an insane, dead inside choice,” one X post ― which focused on the office-chic flooring choice the couple made ― reads.

“It’s so true that money can’t buy taste,” another simply states, while menswear expert Derek Guy took issue with billionaire Jeff Bezos’ waistcoat pick.

“This is a dinner suit (aka tuxedo) and thus requires a formal waistcoat, which is cut lower on the body. He’s wearing a business vest, which is designed for business suits. Needs a waistcoat like the right,” the pro said.

Jeff Bezos

via Associated Press

Jeff Bezos

A post shared to Reddit’s r/popculturechat went into deeper discussion.

″$50 million can’t buy class and taste: Things from the Bezos/Sanchez wedding that I have rated from 1 to 10 by how tacky/embarrassing they are,” their post title reads. To be fair, though, Forbes puts it at a still-unfathomable ”$20-plus million.”

Top offenders included a “tacky” outfit donned by guest Kim Kardashian, along with the 90 private jets which appear to have arrived in Venice for the event (“Sad, unnecessary, maddening, but also embarrassing”).

Kim Kardashian at the Bezos wedding

via Associated Press

Kim Kardashian at the Bezos wedding

“Having a foam party on a $500 million yacht is still pretty tacky,” poster u/Potato3487 added (because yes, they really had one).

“I don’t think the selling point of my aisle should be ‘hides stains well’”, u/StasRutt chimed in.

In short, it seems most netizens have a uniform reaction to one of the richest men in the world’s nuptials: money, after all, can’t buy everything (including taste).

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Andy Burnham Calls On Labour MPs To Vote Against Welfare Cuts Despite Starmer U-Turn

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The Manchester mayor said the prime minister had only performed “half a U-turn”, which did not go far enough.

His comments, at an event at the Glastonbury festival, will be seen as a direct challenge to the PM’s authority.

The government announced on Friday that it was watering down its plans to cut £5 billion from the welfare budget after a rebellion by more than 120 Labour MPs.

It means that those currently in receipt of personal independence payments (PIP) and universal credit will not be affected, but those claiming in the future will receive less cash.

Starmer hopes the concessions will be enough to persuade Labour MPs to vote for the government’s reforms in the Commons on Tuesday.

But Burnham said: “What’s been announced is half a U-turn, a 50% U-turn. In my view I’d still hope MPs vote against the whole bill when it comes before parliament.”

He said Labour MPs “face the prospect, if they accept this package, someone could come to their surgery in two years saying ‘why did you vote to make me £6,000 worse off than someone exactly the same, but who was protected because they were an existing claimant’?”

“I hope they think carefully before the vote, because the vote will create that unfairness and divide in disabled people,” he added.

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Keir Starmer Demands BBC Explain How Bob Vylan ‘Hate Speech’ Was Broadcast

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Keir Starmer has demanded answers from the BBC for broadcasting “appalling hate speech” from Glastonbury.

The prime minister added his voice to the backlash against punk duo Bob Vylan after they led the festival crowd in chants of “death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)” on Saturday afternoon.

Their performance was streamed live on the BBC iPlayer.

Starmer told the Telegraph: “There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech. I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence.

“The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast.”

Health secretary Wes Streeting had earlier said both the BBC and Glastonbury “have questions to answer”.

He told Sky News: “I thought it was appalling to be honest and I think the BBC and Glastonbury have got questions to answer on how we saw such a spectacle on our screens.

“I also think it was a pretty shameless publicity stunt that I don’t want to give too much indulgence to for that reason.”

A spokesperson for the BBC said: “Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan’s set were deeply offensive.

“During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language.

“We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.”

In a statement posted on Instagram on Sunday, Glastonbury’s organisers also said they were “appalled” by Bob Vylan’s performance.

They said: “Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence”.

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Starmer’s Start As Prime Minister ‘Even Worse Than Liz Truss’, Claims Expert

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Keir Starmer has made an even worse start to life as prime minister than Liz Truss, an expert has claimed.

Political historian Anthony Seldon, who has written biographies of numerous PMs including Tony Blair, David Cameron and Boris Johnson, said at least the former Tory leader “had a clear plan” for government.

Truss was ousted from No.10 after just 49 days following a revolt by Conservative MPs in the wake of her disastrous mini-Budget.

But Seldon said that Starmer, who marks a year in office on July 5, has been worse.

He told Sky News: “I think it is absolutely right that not in a hundred years has anyone made such an inept start coming in to the office of prime minister with so little idea of what he’s doing, why he’s doing, what story he’s telling, what he’s communicating and the people he needs around him, both inside Downing Street and in the other key positions.”

But presenter Phillips told him: “When you say ‘not in a hundred years’, I can hear people shouting at the telly ‘Liz Truss’.”

Seldon replied: “At least Liz Truss had a clear plan and it’s the wring plan, and it’s the plan that Starmer needs to have – nothing matters more than growth and optimism.

“Liz Truss had growth as her core objective and she had optimism, she just went about it in totally the wrong way. You can learn good and bad things from Liz Truss.”

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Exclusive: Labour Failing On Key Issues Facing The Country, Say Voters

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Voters believe Labour are failing on the key issues facing the country, according to a new poll.

The nationwide survey by Ipsos showed the public believe the NHS, inflation and immigration will be the areas most important to them when deciding who to vote for at the next general election.

But in a blow for Keir Starmer, a clear majority believe the Labour government is performing badly on all of them.

The poll showed 62% of voters believe they are doing a bad job on the cost of living, 59% are unsatisfied withe Labour’s performance on immigration and 54% are unsatisfied with the government’s management of the economy.

As Starmer approaches his first anniversary as prime minister, a majority – 56% – of the British public are disappointed by what Labour has done in power so far.

Meanwhile, 52% of the public have an unfavourable view of the PM himself, with just 24% having a favourable one, giving him a net rating of minus 28.

Voters’ opinion of chancellor Rachel Reeves is even worse, with 53% having an unfavourable view of her, and just 17% having a favourable one, giving her a net rating of minus 36.

Keiran Pedley, director of UK politics at Ipsos, told HuffPost UK: “Neither Labour nor Keir Starmer’s poll ratings are in a good place and that’s been the case for some time.

“More than half have an unfavourable view of both the prime minister and the chancellor, and a similar proportion are disappointed by Labour in government so far.

“On all the issues voters say are most important to them – the NHS, the economy and immigration – a majority of Britons say Labour are doing a bad job.”

However, in a glimmer of hope for Starmer, Pedley said Labour remain more trusted on the NHS than any other party and “there is no clear consensus for which party is best on the economy or cost of living”.

“Given this – and there is still potentially four years to go this parliament – Labour still does have time on its side to turn things around,” he added.

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Nigel Farage Slammed By Albanian Prime Minister Over ‘Bonkers’ Prisoner Numbers Claim

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Nigel Farage has been slammed by the prime minister of Albania after he claimed one in 50 prisoners in UK jails come from the country.

Edi Rama offered to take every one of them back to the Balkan nation if the Reform UK leader’s “bonkers” claim turned out to be true.

And he challenged Farage to visit Albania if he is wrong – and promise to defend the country and its people the next time anyone “badmouths” them.

Rama, who just won a fourth term in office, threw down the gauntlet after Farage criticised Albania on his GB News show.

That came after Rama had said Keir Starmer’s attempts to deport illegal immigrants to third countries showed the UK was “in a very dark place” because of Brexit.

The Reform boss had said: “I tell you what, Mr Rama, did you know one in 50 Albanians in Britain are in prison? So show some goodwill and take them all back tomorrow, because this is hypocrisy.”

Responding on X, Rama said: “That ‘one in 50 Albanians are in prison’ claim? It’s not a fact. It’s bonkers. A classic from the post-truth Brexit playbook: ‘If it sounds scary, it must be true’.

“Guess what? When the numbers are actually run — surprise! — even if we assumed every Albanian currently in prison is guilty (and in fact, many are caught up in an outdated and restrictive visa system), the rate of criminality among Albanians in the UK would be no higher than — and likely lower than — that of the British population itself.

“Now, since we both seem to cherish ‘goodwill’ and are clearly allergic to ‘hypocrisy’, here’s my offer: Let’s both bring our numbers to the table. If your ‘one in 50’ claim holds water — I will personally commit to taking them all back. That’s not a competing headline — it’s a public pledge.

“But if your scary stat turns out to be just tabloid fuel, then no apology needed. No drama. Instead, you’ll come to Albania — as my guest of honour. You’ll get real sun, real hospitality, and even more real facts — about Albania and its fabulous people.

“And all I ask in return is the simplest public pledge from you, made while enjoying our country: next time someone badmouths Albanians, you’ll be the first to tell them — in your histrionic way — not to do it again.

“So what do you say? One fact-check for a full deportation — or a full vacation, with some of the warmest people you’ll ever meet. Come on, Nigel. If you lose on a fact check, you’ll still win a whole nation of friends for life. Looking forward to hearing from you.”

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https://t.co/5yfTLPfoAB

Ooopsss… Mr.@Nigel_Farage himself has just challenged me on the facts!

What an honor — for a “giant man,” as he described me (meaning, of course, from a “tiny country”) — to earn the attention of Britain’s unrivaled virtuoso of headline politics.

He…

— Edi Rama (@ediramaal) June 27, 2025

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https://t.co/5yfTLPfoAB

Ooopsss… Mr.@Nigel_Farage himself has just challenged me on the facts!

What an honor — for a “giant man,” as he described me (meaning, of course, from a “tiny country”) — to earn the attention of Britain’s unrivaled virtuoso of headline politics.

He…

— Edi Rama (@ediramaal) June 27, 2025

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