Celebrity Dads & MPs Kick Off Westminster Football Stunt Over UK Paternity Leave 

Men’s health charity Movember and paternity leave campaigners The Dad Shift bring together MPs, fathers and children in Westminster for a symbolic five-a-side football stunt calling for urgent reform to the UK’s paternity leave system – currently the worst in Europe.

Celebrity dads Professor Green, Ugo Monye, Troy Deeney and Gordon Smart will join MPs, fathers and children for a the five-a-side matches at Victoria Tower Gardens on Monday 8th June at 4:30pm. 

Each match will last just 10 minutes – one minute for every day of statutory paternity leave UK dads are entitled to. When the whistle goes, the dads are benched and their children continue playing alone, showing how quickly fathers are forced “off the pitch” at home.

Celebrity dads Professor Green, Ugo Monye, Troy Deeney and Gordon Smart will be available for interview onsite, alongside MPs, fathers affected by inadequate paternity leave, and spokespeople from Movember and The Dad Shift.

With the government’s parental leave review now underway, this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform a system that sends too many fathers back to work before they’ve had meaningful time to bond with their baby, support their partner or adjust to family life. 

They’re calling for fathers to receive 6 weeks’ statutory paternity leave at 90% pay immediately, with a phased expansion to 12 weeks within three years. 

New research by Movember and The Dad Shift reveals:

• 92% of Brits believe it’s important for fathers to spend time with their babies in the early months
• 82% of fathers say better paternity leave is the single biggest thing government could do for their mental health
• 50% say financial pressure prevents them taking more leave
• The UK has the worst paternity leave in Europe: 2 weeks, paid at less than half the minimum wage, and self-employed fathers get nothing at all.