'Important step' | Employees to gain new bereavement and pregnancy loss leave rights

A new right to bereavement leave will be introduced from April 2027 for employees who lose a spouse or partner, parent, adult child or sibling.

The entitlement will also cover step, half, adoptive, kinship care and foster relationships, extending protection to people who currently have no legal right to take bereavement leave.

Separately, women and their partners who experience a pregnancy loss before 24 weeks will become entitled to up to two weeks of unpaid leave. The protection will cover miscarriages, terminations and unsuccessful IVF embryo transfers.

The Government said the reforms, which will be enacted through secondary legislation, would establish a statutory safety net for workers whose access to compassionate leave currently depends on their employer’s policies and discretion.