Famous Edinburgh statues dressed in baby slings as part of paternity leave protest

New campaign group the Dad Shift targeted three city centre statues – Robert Fergusson (Canongate), Ken Buchanan (Little King Street), and Wojtek the Soldier Bear (Princes Street Gardens). Several statues in London also had model babies attached to them, including Gene Kelly, Thierry Henry and Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

The UK has the worst paternity leave offer in Europe, with only two statutory weeks of leave, paid at £184.03 a week. It comes as a recent poll of 4,043 adults found 76% agree that “Fathers these days want to be a bigger part of their children’s lives”, rising to 90% among dads and 83% among Labour voters.

With Labour committed to a review of parental leave policies in their first year in office, The Dad Shift is inviting members of the public and major national figures to sign their letter to Keir Starmer, calling on him as a fellow father to get behind the campaign.

George Gabriel, co-founder of The Dad Shift, said: “We’re celebrating the role these figures played as fathers as we launch this new campaign for better paternity leave. 90% of dads agree that fathers these days want to be a bigger part of their kids' lives. Having seen Keir Starmer stand up for his right to spend time with his children we know he gets it and are sure that a better deal for British dads and co-parents is possible.”

Alex Lloyd Hunter, co-founder of The Dad Shift, said: “Decent paternity leave is good for fathers, good for mothers and good for babies too. We are calling for paternity leave that is affordable for people to take, gives a substantial allowance of time, and supports equality among parents. It’s past time we caught up with the rest of Europe and backed British families.”

The UK’s current statutory paternity offer ranks 40/43 across the entire OECD in financial terms, but a growing number of employers offer substantially more generous and appropriate leave. These include Aviva, who offer 6 months parental leave to both mums and dads.

Marvyn Harrison, co-founder of The Dad Shift and founder of Dope Black Dads, said: “One in three British dads take no paternity leave at all and one in two of those who do face financial hardship as a result. We need to set dads and co-parents up for success and there’s more and more evidence that doing so will help grow businesses and the economy too.”

Thomas Lynch, CEO of Dads Rock Scotland, said: “Scottish dads and co-parents want to play a full role in the lives of their kids from day one. We need Westminster to play its part and deliver better paternity leave. With the UK’s offer the worst in Europe it’s well past time.”