On 9 June 2026, ministers opened a formal consultation on whether employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children should go beyond the current legal minimum. The options under consideration include paid carer’s leave, a protected right to return to work after a period of intensive caring, and new guidance to explain existing rights more clearly. (gov.uk) The exercise forms part of the government’s wider review of employment rights for unpaid carers, led by the Department for Business and Trade, with the Department of Health and Social Care also attached to the announcement. Responses are due by 1 September 2026. (gov.uk)
This matters because Great Britain already has a statutory carer’s leave framework. GOV.UK guidance states that employees have a day-one right to up to one week of unpaid carer’s leave in every 12-month period for a dependant with a long-term care need, and that leave can be taken as half days, individual days or a full week. (gov.uk) An employer cannot refuse a valid request outright, although it can postpone the leave where the absence would cause serious disruption and must offer an alternative date within one month. The consultation is therefore testing whether the present unpaid model is sufficient, rather than creating a first workplace right for carers from the ground up. (gov.uk)
The government’s case for change is framed in both labour market and social terms. The press release states that around three million unpaid carers are balancing paid work with caring responsibilities, while many reduce hours, postpone returning to work or leave employment entirely, at an estimated cost of £37 billion a year to the economy. (gov.uk) In the review terms of reference, ministers state that the objective is to help carers enter, remain in and progress in work while supporting employers’ access to a skilled workforce. That wording is important because it places the issue within employment retention and labour supply, not only within family policy. (gov.uk)
One proposal being tested is paid carer’s leave for the first time. Another is a right to return after a period of intensive caring, which the government says would operate in a similar way to protections associated with maternity leave. The consultation also asks whether clearer official guidance would help workers and employers use the present framework more effectively. (gov.uk) For employers, that means the exercise is not limited to the question of pay. It also covers job protection, absence management and how line managers interpret carers’ rights in practice. The review terms make clear that ministers are weighing costs and benefits for business and the exchequer, with particular attention to the effect on employers, including smaller firms. (gov.uk)
A second strand of the consultation concerns parents of seriously ill children through what ministers describe as Hugh’s Law. According to the government, the proposal is named in memory of Hugh Menai-Davis, who died aged six from cancer in 2021, and follows campaigning by his family and the charity It’s Never You for paid leave and financial support after a child receives a serious diagnosis. (gov.uk) The review terms make clear that ministers are considering a targeted paid leave entitlement for parents in this position. The government’s framing is that the employment pressure created by a child’s diagnosis can deepen an already acute family crisis, so the consultation asks whether a more specific statutory response is needed. (gov.uk)
There are also clear limits to what is on offer at this stage. The review applies to England, Scotland and Wales, while employment policy in Northern Ireland is transferred and outside scope. The terms of reference also state that reforms outside employment rights for unpaid carers are not part of this review, which means wider changes to social care or broader financial support are not being settled here. (gov.uk) Process matters as much as policy substance. The government states that this consultation sits in phase two of a review launched in autumn 2024, with a consultation response, findings and a roadmap expected before the end of 2026. (gov.uk)
Stakeholder responses in the launch material point to where the consultation is likely to concentrate. Carers UK described the exercise as a significant moment in its long-running campaign for stronger rights for working carers, while TSB said its own paid carers’ leave policy, which gives colleagues an additional 70 hours a year, has had a positive effect in practice. (gov.uk) For carers, parents and employers, the immediate point is procedural rather than legislative. Ministers are asking for evidence before deciding whether to legislate, and the structure of the review suggests that submissions on recruitment, retention, household finances and the operation of current unpaid leave rules are likely to be especially relevant ahead of the 1 September 2026 deadline. (gov.uk)