Maternity pay the next battle-axe for Tories

Maternity pay the next battle-axe for Tories

Maternity pay the next battle-axe for Tories, leadership contender Kemi Badenoch has suggested that maternity pay in the UK is “excessive”.

Sparking a debate among the leadership contenders about maternity rights, Badenoch, the former business secretary, said that maternity pay was “a function of tax”, adding: “Tax comes from people who are working, we’re taking from one group of people and giving to another. This, in my view, is excessive.”

Arguing that businesses were closing because the burden of regulation is too high she added: “We need to allow businesses, especially small businesses, to make more of their own decisions.”

This point will be picked up in the next election as a point to batter the dominant Labour party who should be on the other side of the fence. It makes a good sound bite for the Tories but will also allow identify with small businesses again.