“Behind every loss is a family that deserves time to heal": Sheffield MP responds to bereavement legislation
“I am grateful that our Labour Government is delivering a new legal right to bereavement leave for all employees”
A Sheffield MP who had been campaigning for legislative protections for grieving families to take bereavement leave has celebrated a new policy announcement.
Olivia Blake has said that the new approach - which will entitle employees to two weeks’ bereavement leave after the loss of a close relative - will allow people to “grieve loss in the way that works for them.”
The Sheffield Hallam MP had previously been advocating for changes to employment rules after hearing from local residents who were worried about their rights at work following the loss of a family member.
New changes will give legal protections for leave to employees who have lost a spouse, partner, adult child or sibling from April 2027.
It will also bring stronger protections for women and their partners who experience pregnancy loss, extending parental bereavement leave to pregnancy loss, including miscarriages, terminations and unsuccessful IVF embryo transfers before 24 weeks.
“Behind every loss is a family that deserves time to heal, time to grieve shouldn’t depend on where you work,” Blake said.
“I am grateful that our Labour Government is delivering a new legal right to bereavement leave for all employees.
“These changes will deliver real security and breathing room for families in Sheffield Hallam giving them the right to grieve loss in the way that works for them.”
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.”
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