The UK government announced plans on 22 September 2026 for a new legal right to bereavement leave, to be introduced from April 2027 for employees who lose a spouse or partner, parent, adult child or sibling. The proposal would also cover step, half, adoptive, kinship care and foster relationships, which the government said currently have no legal right to bereavement leave. Ministers said the changes would be enacted by secondary legislation the following year.

The announcement also included an entitlement of up to two weeks of unpaid leave for women and their partners who experience pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, including miscarriage, terminations and unsuccessful IVF embryo transfers. The right would also apply to partners, the other biological parent, or intended parents in a surrogacy arrangement.

According to the government, leave could be taken flexibly within 56 weeks of the loss and as single days. Employees taking leave in the first eight weeks would need to notify their employer as soon as reasonably practicable rather than in advance, and no one would be required to provide evidence of loss. The plans build on existing Parental Bereavement Leave for stillbirth after 24 weeks or the death of a child under 18.