The government has announced a major change to employment law, with new bereavement leave rights for parents who suffer pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, including miscarriage
Andy Burnham’s government has confirmed a significant shift in employment law, introducing fresh bereavement leave entitlements for parents experiencing pregnancy loss.
Bereavement leave entitlements will be expanded to encompass early pregnancy loss alongside a wide spectrum of relationships, the government has revealed. The Employment Rights Act 2025 established a fresh entitlement to unpaid leave for workers who suffer the loss of a loved one.
From next April, women and their partners who suffer a pregnancy loss prior to 24 weeks, encompassing miscarriage, termination and unsuccessful IVF embryo transfer, will be eligible for up to two weeks of unpaid time away from work, reports the Manchester Evening News.
This comes on top of the current entitlement to leave for parents who suffer a stillbirth beyond 24 weeks of pregnancy, or the death of a child under 18.
The entitlement to bereavement leave will be broadened to encompass workers who lose a spouse or partner, parent, adult child or sibling. Step and half-relatives will be covered alongside adoptive and kinship care. Foster relationships which currently lack legal protection concerning leave will also be included.
The announcement comes after a consultation designed to ensure the fresh entitlement is “shaped with the needs of employees and employers”.
The move follows extensive campaigning, including by bereaved parents who lacked formal acknowledgement of their loss, to eliminate “inconsistency and confusion.”
Despite research suggesting one in five women across the UK suffer a miscarriage, there exists no legal entitlement to bereavement leave in such situations.
Work minister Kate Dearden stated: “No-one should have to fight for time to grieve. These changes back people going through some of the hardest moments of life, whoever they are and wherever they work.
“I want to thank the campaigners whose courage and testimonies have made this change happen.”
The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade explained that while the overwhelming majority of affected employees have compassionate employers, there must be a “safety net beyond this discretion”.
Concerning pregnancy loss, the entitlement to bereavement leave will extend to partners, the other biological parent, or prospective parents in surrogacy arrangements.
“This recognises in law that pregnancy loss affects the whole family and that all families across Great Britain have their grief acknowledged and are treated fairly at one of the hardest times in life,” the Department stated.
Vicki Robinson, Miscarriage UK chief executive, stated: “This is an important step in recognising pregnancy loss as a bereavement and the profound impact it can have, and we hope will provide a baseline for employers to go further.
“We still strongly believe bereavement leave should be paid, and we will continue to press for this through our leave for every loss campaign. We will continue work with Government to ensure the detail and guidance provide meaningful and compassionate support for everyone affected by pregnancy loss.”
The Government is also undertaking a broader review of parental leave and pay.
This encompasses matters such as the demand for “Hugh’s Law.” The law strives to grant statutory paid leave for parents of seriously ill children, and the rights of parents with terminally ill children.
Consultation on the new proposals revealed that over eight in ten employers and nine in ten organisations representing businesses backed bereavement leave following the death of an immediate family member.