Proposal for law supporting parents of critically ill children blocked by Labour
Under current law, parents of newborn babies who become unwell within the first 28 days of life are entitled to paid leave and job protection to be by their child's bedside.
But if their child is diagnosed with cancer at 29 days old, the parents no longer have the right to financial support.
Ceri and Frances Menai-Davis, who lost their young son to cancer, are campaigning for the government to bring in Hugh's Law, which would give parents statutory rights if their child is critically ill.
It would have given parents the right to statutory paid leave and job protection from day one for parents whose child is diagnosed with a critical or terminal illness, up to the age of 16.
The campaigners had been hopeful that the Employment Rights Bill could be amended by the lords after positive meetings with government officials - but to their disappointment, Labour ordered its peers to vote against the proposal.
Asking for an explanation, Ulster Unionist MP Robin Swann said Employment Rights Minister Justin Madders MP had "turned his back" on the parents.
Responding, the minister said: "We're not turning our back on parents or children. We're actually having the biggest expansion in workers' rights and family-friendly policies that we've seen in a generation.
"Clearly, we're not going to be able to satisfy every issue in this area. But that's the point of this review. We're looking at the system in the round. It needs improving, needs modernising. And that's what we intend to do."
Why did Labour block Hugh's Law? Minister Justin Madders MP responds
Ceri said it was "deeply disappointing" to see Labour reject the proposals, given they appear to have cross party support.
Despite ordering peers to reject the amendment, Labour whip Lord Katz suggested in the House of Lords that the government could still bring in Hugh's Law at a further date.
"We will consult on support for parents of seriously ill children, including the proposal for Hugh's Law," he said, describing the campaign as an "extremely important matter".
Ceri and Frances set up the charity It's Never You and began campaigning for a law change in memory of their six-year-old son Hugh, who died of cancer in 2021.
"After he passed away, and during the time that he had treatment, we witnessed parents just going through the worst time, obviously looking after their child, but also the worst time financially.
"And we realised at that point there is nothing in place in the UK that provides support, financial support to parents of a sick child."
At present, parents of critically ill children must rely on unpaid Carer's Leave, which is capped at just one week per year. Disability living allowance is available to claim on behalf of the child, but parents must wait 90 days before applying and an application can take up to 20 weeks to be processed.
Ceri and Frances say the situation means there is a "cruel gap in support", not based on the severity of a child's illness but the date they are diagnosed.
But the government's offer of a consultation does not fill them with much hope.
"While we welcome the government's offer of a consultation, we are concerned that this could become yet another review that fails to deliver real change.
"The proposed consultation won't begin until 2026, with no guaranteed outcome or legislative timetable. That is simply not good enough for families in crisis right now."
Ceri added: "We have again reached out to ministers in the Department for Business and Trade and to the deputy prime minister, whose bill this amendment was part of, requesting a meeting and open dialogue. To date, we have had no response.
"The fight for Hugh's Law continues. This is no longer a niche policy concern. It is becoming a matter of public conscience. Families deserve urgent action and Hugh's Law must be addressed with the seriousness and speed this crisis demands."
A government spokesperson said: "We recognise the challenges that parents face when caring for seriously ill children, and we know many employers will show compassion and understanding in these circumstances.
'We pay tribute to the tireless campaigning from It's Never You in memory of their son, Hugh. We will continue to work with them as part of our review of carer's leave, which will look at further support for parents of seriously ill children.'
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The Guardian
40 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Monday briefing: How automatic voter registration could redraw Britain's political map
Good morning. A 12-year-old today will be able to vote in the next general election, unless it's called early. When I first heard that, I laughed. No wonder there's so much focus on Labour's plan to lower the voting age to 16. But it's another reform that could have a far greater impact on who votes – and who wins. The government has announced plans to introduce automatic voter registration, or AVR, where people are added to the electoral roll using existing government data, such as tax or passport records. Right now, voters in the UK have to register themselves. It's a clunky and outdated system. One study recently the most difficult registration processes in any liberal democracy. The result is that millions of people fall through the cracks. In 2023, about 8 million UK adults weren't correctly registered to vote, according to the Electoral Commission. So what could AVR mean politically? How does it shift power in a significant way, for parties both on the right and the left? 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It's not just about democratic engagement. Who is in the voter pool clearly influences what decisions get made and who is ultimately elected, Tryl explained. He added that people in poorer communities often face a range of barriers, from time poverty and low awareness to disconnection from the political system and a lack of stable housing. Students, he said, may struggle with dual registration, while some migrants may not realise they're eligible to vote, or may not feel entitled to take part. How will it shift power? One of the biggest potential political impacts is on boundary changes. Registration rates vary between seats, Tryl said, so some MPs, especially in under-registered urban areas, are effectively representing far more people than others. And that's because constituency boundaries are based on the number of registered voters, not the number of eligible people. 'The difference in some seats can be tens of thousands of people,' he said. So where does this under-registration happen? 'It's mostly cities; places like Liverpool, Leeds, Bristol, London. MPs in these inner-city areas are representing larger populations, but that's not reflected in boundary calculations. If legislation goes through and we assume more eligible voters are registered, those people will finally be counted,' he added. Simply put, Tryl explained, this would mean more representation, and more parliamentary seats in urban and student-heavy areas. But with the total number of seats in parliament fixed at 650, that shift would inevitably come at the expense of rural, more affluent constituencies. 'It's hard to argue against the principle of automatic registration, but the boundary changes could make rural constituencies, some of which are already geographically large, even bigger,' Tryl said. Who is set to benefit? The most obvious party set to benefit is Labour, which tends to perform better in urban and student-heavy areas. But Tryl tells me that others are also likely to gain from this change. 'The Greens tend to perform better in inner cities and student areas. Some of the inner-city areas that we're talking about are where the independents have done very well, in parts of Birmingham and potentially in parts of London,' Tryl said. 'The big losers are likely to be the Conservatives, who tend to represent more affluent, high-registration areas, and the Liberal Democrats, who've made gains in the so-called Blue walls – former Tory, leafy, affluent strongholds.' Last week, Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana formally launched a new political party, targeting the very inner-city seats likely to gain from automatic voter registration. Polling suggests the party could capture about 10% of the vote, potentially eating into Labour and Green support. Zack Polanski, who is running to be the next Green party leader, has already said he is open to working with any party willing to challenge Reform. This emerging 'Green-left' alliance could be pivotal in shaping the electoral map. On Friday, the group We Deserve Better, backed by the Guardian columnist Owen Jones, launched a campaign calling for a formal electoral pact between Corbyn and Sultana's party and the Greens. As for Reform UK, it's difficult to draw firm conclusions for now, Tryl said. But previous research (pdf) suggests the party's base is made up largely of older, non‑graduate, culturally conservative voters, many disillusioned with the Conservatives or drawn from the Brexit camp. Will this increase voter turnout? While this reform could have a far bigger effect on the electorate than extending the vote to 16- and 17-year-olds – there are about 1.5 million of them in the UK compared with an estimated eight million eligible voters who aren't registered – it is unlikely to lead to a dramatic surge in turnout, Tryl said. Voter turnout in UK general elections used to be consistently high, staying above 70% from 1945 right up until 1997, and even topping 80% in 1950 and 1951. But it had plunged to just 59.4% by the time Tony Blair secured his second term in 2001. Turnout did climb again between 2010 and 2019, yet it has never returned to 70%. In the most recent election in 2024, it slipped again, landing at 59.7%. 'I think that represents a wider democratic disillusionment and disengagement,' Tryl said, but added that there was public support for AVR. 'Forty-five per cent said they supported it, just 21% opposed. So it is more popular than allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to vote. But clearly that needs to go and sit alongside wider democratic engagement in a nonpartisan way.' People need to feel that voting matters. And, Tryl added: 'The fundamental challenge is too many people do not think that government is either willing, because they think politicians are only in it for themselves, and the system is rigged, or capable … to take on Britain's big challenges to bring about the change the country needs. When seven in 10 people say the country is getting worse, and the top word used to describe Britain is 'broken,' you've got overlapping crises: of trust, of exhaustion, of people feeling like they've lost control and agency. That is driving disengagement far more than the specifics of the democratic system.' The task for every party across the political spectrum in the coming years, Tryl said, is to prove that 'government can work and that it can be a force for good'. 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The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
What a bonus if Starmer is forced to ape Corbyn and not Farage
Plus, as a member of the Labour Party he famously was never a team player. But with the current Labour Party under the disastrous Keir Starmer (two-child benefit cap, no caps for bankers' bonuses, the pensioner winter payment fiasco, turning on the Waspi women, the whole free suit/glasses nonsense and to cap it all, complicity in Gaza genocide), there is one thing Mr Corbyn's new venture could do. Instead of spending a huge amount of time, political energy and wasting precious political capital trying to out-Farage Farage, maybe Keir Starmer will even things out and attempt to out-Corbyn Corbyn. Amanda Baker, Edinburgh. Reform will be the winner The chaotic launch of Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's new left-wing party may seem farcical on the surface, but it poses a very real and immediate threat to Labour and its allies. Polling shows this group could draw around 10% of the national vote – an amount that, while not enough to win, could be catastrophic for Labour's electoral prospects. The greatest beneficiary? Not the Tories, but Reform. Keir Starmer's grip on power is already under strain amid public disillusionment with his leadership style, spiralling public spending, the highest taxes in 70 years and an utterly nonsensical approach to illegal immigration which has not addressed the 'pull factor' one jot. The addition of a new hard-left alternative risks fracturing the left-wing vote beyond repair. More dangerously still, murmurs of discontent among sitting Labour MPs – especially those with slim majorities – raise the spectre of defections. If even a handful break ranks and shift to this new movement, the optics for the PM will be devastating. He will no longer be seen as the unifying force that won power, but the man who presided over the disintegration of Labour as we know it today. Clearly, a Labour-Green split in the face of this insurgent leftist bloc could be the difference between a fragile minority government and a total collapse by 2029. Keir Starmer may believe the hard left has been banished, but their return – however muddled – is a warning. Ignore it, and he may not last another four years, let alone win a second term. Small wonder support for Reform is surging. Ian Lakin, Aberdeen. Read more letters A broad church for indy needed I note Neil Mackay's thoughtful piece ("Corbyn's new party does not just threaten Labour, it will wound SNP too", [[The Herald]], July 26) on the potential of Jeremy Corbyn's new party to disrupt not only the Scottish Labour Party but the [[SNP]] vote too. My first thought was, is there a "wheesht for Labour" thing going? Perhaps not by Neil but there is by some. Secondly, I'm a socialist-leaning SNP supporter. Would this potential opportunity affect my vote? On reflection no. My red line is independence, I strongly believe that Scotland would thrive, economically, politically and socially as an independent nation state. A good neighbour to England but not ruled by her. My ongoing "fight" will be for independence just as it is for over 50% of the population. However after Independence Day I will then fight for a constitution that best frames my political vision, as of course will other Scots. The SNP needs to run a centre course, to be a broad church, to lead us to that independent future. Although a bit more "leading" would certainly help. Dr Jacqui Jensen, Perth. Mhairi Black was no trailblazer You describe former SNP MP Mairi Black as a 'trailblazer' ("Trailblazing former SNP MP Mhairi Black quits the party", The Herald, July 15), but what exactly did she achieve in nine years picking up her wages at the taxpayers' expense? She got elected age 20, with no work experience. Her party's propaganda/spin machine got behind her to give her a profile, and apparently, she made a speech which did well on the internet and made her in to a minor celebrity in the political bubble. It is difficult to believe that 10 million people viewed that video. Maybe Nicola Sturgeon had her finger on the 'Watch Again' button for several weeks, or some bots helped her with the numbers. If 10 million people really watched it, then they need to give themselves a good shake. But what did she actually do? There are no achievements that are apparent at all. She did not front up any piece of legislation, initiate any high-level campaigns or leave any legacy projects in her own constituency. She did jump on various bandwagons, but anyone can do that, and none of those bandwagons really went anywhere. Apparently, she did not like her job, which is not surprising in someone so young. She defended her seat when the SNP had the political wind at the backs, but then jumped ship in 2024 before her constituents had the opportunity to oust her. Ms Black has been the poster girl of the very shallow and superficial politics we have seen in Scotland over the last 10-15 years. What she does or does not believe in is neither here nor there. She had an opportunity to do things to help people in their everyday lives, but did not do anything of note in the time she had. Now, it is apparently the fault of everyone else. We need politicians who can do things in Scotland, not these minor wannabe celebrities. 'Trailblazing' is completely the wrong word for Ms Black. It is certainly not the kind of trail we want anyone else to follow. Victor Clements, Aberfeldy. SNP ranks will be thinner I have championed Mhairi Black from her early university days and believe she is a strong voice for Scotland, an impressive orator and I wish she had not left the SNP. What I do think will happen to the SNP now will be a thinning of the ranks from those who are members who joined for the referendum with their own agendas and saw independence as an avenue to secure their personal aims; when their aims were not met what was left was their own agenda, showing that their commitment to the SNP and independence was never their main goal. Those who remain in the SNP are in the majority around the centre ground, committed to independence, who recognise it as a long game and continue to be a voice for an Independent Scotland from within the SNP. The opportunity arose in 2014 to secure an independent Scotland and over half of Scotland said no, the people spoke and democracy means we respect the vote and continue to work towards independence. The SNP is and always has been the means to secure Independence, when the people of Scotland unite, decide they have enough then we will be an Independent country. Christine Smith, Troon. Mhairi Black has left the SNP (Image: Newsquest) Immigration conundrum The UK Government is planning an end to housing immigrants in hotels. The main political parties all have plans to end illegal immigration by stopping the rubber boat crossings from France. The Prime Minister says he will wage war on the people-smuggling gangs. He also has some kind of botched-together deal with President Macron of France. Up until September of last year there were 810,400 economically inactive people in Scotland. Crime has risen among immigrants in Britain and Scotland has a housing shortage. John Swinney wants more immigrants in Scotland which if organised properly could benefit the country. If a person arrives with qualifications and is willing to contribute that shouldn't be a problem. Immigrants who come here to sponge off the taxpayer and become involved in crime should get nowhere near our border. But who's going to decide who comes in and who doesn't? Ian Balloch, Grangemouth.
New Statesman
an hour ago
- New Statesman
Will Keir Starmer recognise Palestine?
Photo byThe image stays with you: this week it has covered the front pages of the world's newspapers. A mother, herself worn down and bruised by 21 months of conflict, cradles her child, who is swaddled in a bin bag. The child has lost a third of its body weight, it now weighs 6kg. Such images are not unique in Gaza, where starvation is general to a community after the blockade of humanitarian aid. The international community is looking on in horror, pleading with Israel to reconsider. On Sunday, the Israeli government issued a temporary reprieve allowing deliveries of aid into parts of Gaza. In the UK, there is pressure on the government to officially recognise the state of Palestine. This pressure originally mounted from the backbenches, but now, even members of the cabinet (Shabana Mahmood, Wes Streeting and Hilary Benn) are ramping up their private calls for Starmer to recognise Palestinian statehood. Over the weekend, 220 MPs from nine political parties – including 131 Labour MPs – signed a letter calling for the immediate recognition of Palestine. In the run up to the 2024 general election, the party's manifesto included a pledge to recognise a Palestinian state as a contribution towards a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution, but a year on, and both Starmer and his Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, are yet to make good on this promise. The government's current position is that the UK will acknowledge Palestinian statehood as part of a peace process, but only at the point of 'maximum impact'. On Saturday, Starmer doubled down, rejecting renewed calls for the UK to reconsider and immediately recognise a Palestinian state, reasserting the UK's alignment with the US on this issue (a move which one cabinet minister told The Times was 'deeply inadequate'). The opportunity for Starmer to recognise the Palestinian state has presented itself more than once. Most recently, it was thought that Starmer might wait to go ahead with recognition alongside the French President, Emmanuel Macron. The UK and France argue a historical responsibility for the continuation of a Palestinian community in the Middle East, and so plenty suspected the countries would make a dual statement. But the opportunity for joint Franco-UK recognition has now passed. On Thursday 24 July, Macron announced France's intention to recognise Palestine at the upcoming UN general assembly. (Starmer, on the other hand, almost simultaneously released a statement sticking to the government line). Backbench MPs are losing their patience. Rachael Maskell, who lost the Labour whip last week following her involvement in the welfare rebellion, believes 'time is running out' for any governmental recognition of Palestine to have its desired effect. 'We should have recognised Palestine many, many years ago,' she said, 'it's been Labour party policy since 2014'. Maskell was one of 60 MPs to sign a letter to the Foreign Secretary in July calling for Palestine's immediate recognition. Ian Byrne, the Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby agreed: 'We had a vote over a decade ago about Palestine. [Recognition] was in the manifesto. What we're seeing now with the genocide, there's the political will now from all sides of the house to do something.' Byrne said now is the time for the UK to step up and take international responsibility. 'The UK has the opportunity to do the right thing. We are one of the world leaders and sometimes you need a leader to take the lead.' He criticised the government for acting 'extremely slowly' on Gaza. Even more moderate back-bench Labour MPs are ramping up the pressure on the government. One member of the 2024 intake told me, 'It's beyond horrific, we have to seriously consider our relationship with Israel.' Israel has now offered a brief cessation of its full scale aid blockade, and Lammy has said the channelling of aid into the Gaza strip must be 'urgently accelerated'. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe No country is likely to get involved in this conflict militarily (unless a UN peacekeeping force is assembled), instead, more substantial diplomatic levers could be pulled such as suspending the UK-Israel trade agreement and imposing sanctions not only on the most outspoken ministers (as the UK has already done with Smotrich and Ben Gvir) but all Israeli political and military leaders involved in the conflict. Many Labour MPs would agree with this. Byrne called for an 'arms embargo, military cooperation to be ended, and comprehensive sanctions'. And it is not just Labour. Kit Malthouse, the Conservative MP for North West Hertfordshire said Lammy could end up in the Hague over his inaction on Gaza as he called on the government to press for an immediate ceasefire. This week the Daily Express carried a front page bearing the face of an emaciated Palestinian child crying 'enough is enough': concern over the plight of Palestinians now transcends party politics. This is unlikely to be an electoral downfall for Keir Starmer. But, with the pro-Gaza independent MPs taking seats last summer otherwise ordained for Labour, it is obvious that this is damaging to the party on its left flank. The Prime Minister may continue to prevaricate. But were we at the polls tomorrow, votes would be shed because of it. [See more: The abomination of Obama's nation] Related
