Three local MPs have welcomed the Government’s announcement that every worker will have the legal right to bereavement leave after the death of an immediate family member or pregnancy loss.

Labour MPs Callum Anderson (Buckingham and Bletchley), Laura Kyrke-Smith MP (Aylesbury) and Emma Reynolds MP (Wycombe) have welcomed the new Government measures to give employees the right to bereavement leave, for greater security and fairness at work.

People who lose a loved one or experience the heartbreak of pregnancy loss will gain new rights to take time off work under major changes confirmed by the Government on Tuesday, September 22.

The three local MPs say the news comes after years of inconsistency and confusion about what protections employees have available to them, and that those grieving will no longer have to fight for the time they need to recover from their loss.

Three local MPs have welcomed the Government’s announcement that every worker will have the legal right to bereavement leave after the death of an immediate family member or pregnancy loss.

placeholder image — Three local MPs have welcomed the Government’s announcement that every worker will have the legal right to bereavement leave after the death of an immediate family member or pregnancy loss.

Kate Dearden, the Minister of State for the Future of Work, will introduce a new legal right to bereavement leave from April 2027 for employees who lose a spouse or partner, parent, adult child or sibling.

She will also introduce measures to expand Parental Bereavement Leave. Women and their partners, including intended parents in surrogacy arrangements, who experience pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, including miscarriage, terminations and unsuccessful IVF embryo transfers, will be entitled to up to two weeks of unpaid leave.

Laura Kyrke-Smith MP, said: “Too many families know the challenges of fertility treatment or the heartbreak of losing a baby during pregnancy. This change will give much-needed space to grieve and breathe and I’m delighted that this Labour Government is making it happen."

The announcement comes after strong campaigning by local MPs and campaigners. The change will also extend bereavement leave rights to those in step, half, adoptive, kinship care and foster relationships, who currently have no legal entitlement to such leave.

While most employers already offer these protections, some do not. These adjustments fill a gap in employment law, which currently leaves bereavement leave largely at the discretion of employers.

The leave can be taken flexibly within 56 weeks of the loss, including as single days, enabling workers to grieve in the way that works best for them.

No one will be asked or required to provide evidence of their loss, helping to protect employees’ privacy and dignity at a deeply distressing time.

Callum Anderson MP, said: “The Government’s new bereavement leave measures are an important step towards giving people the time and support they need after losing a loved one, including pregnancy loss.

"With research from Willen Hospice showing that 83% of people locally have experienced a bereavement in the last five years, this is an issue that affects families right across our towns and villages.”

Minister of State for the Future of Work, Kate Dearden, said: “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.”