Mother’s wages have come a long way, says Kemi Badenoch

Tory leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch says maternity pay has come “too far” and the government should intervene less in people’s lives.

Speaking to Times Radio, Badenoch said statutory maternity pay, which was set up to support mothers for 39 weeks after having a baby, was a “tax function”, calling it “excessive”.

The shadow business secretary did not say what she thought was the right level of maternity pay, but said the government needed to reduce the regulatory burden.

She said: “We need to have more personal responsibility – there was a time when there was no maternity pay and people had more babies.”

Badenoch later said he “definitely” believes in paying the mother.

Statutory maternity pay starts at 90% of the average weekly earnings for six weeks – then drops to a minimum of £184.03 or 90% of the mother’s average earnings for 33 weeks.

In an interview with Times Radio, Badenoch was asked if she thought mothers’ salaries were at the right level.

She said: “Maternity pay varies, depending on who is working – but statutory maternity pay is a function of tax, tax comes from the worker.

“We are taking from one group of people and giving to another. This, in my view, is too big.

“Businesses are closing, businesses are not starting in the UK, because they say the regulatory burden is too high.”

He added that “the exact amount of maternity pay in my view is neither here nor there.”

“We have to make sure that we create an environment where people can work and people can be more free to make their own decisions.

“It’s gotten to the point where government has become about technocratic micro-policy management. That’s not what’s going to improve this country.”

future, write in XBadenoch posted: “Contrary to what some have said, I clearly said the burden of regulation in business has gone too far… of course I believe in paying the mother!”

According to Lord Badenoch’s biographer Michael Ashcroft, she resigned rather than take maternity leave as head of digital operations at the Spectator.

Tory leadership candidate Robert Jenrick said he “disagrees with Kemi on this”.

Speaking at the Conservative party conference, Jenrick said: “I’m a father of three daughters – I want to see them get the support they need when they enter the workplace.”

“Our maternity pay is among the lowest in the OECD. I think the Conservative Party should be strong on the side of parents and working mothers who are trying to get by.

“Nobody said having kids was easy, why would we want to make it harder?”

Responding to Badenoch’s comments, Tom Tugendhat said: “I’m not going to tell people how to live and how to share caring responsibilities differently.”

Tugendhat, who will also be the next party leader, said: “I think maternity and paternity care is very important.

“One of the things that I miss, a few years ago is that we don’t have the same rights in terms of paternity care and I think a lot of people, fathers would like to spend more time with their children.”

A fourth Tory leadership candidate, James Cleverly, also rejected Badenoch’s claims.

She said: “When it comes to working mothers, childcare costs are very high.

“It is government intervention that makes it expensive.

“Let’s make it cheap so that mothers who want to can go back to work and can do it.”

Joeli Brearley, founder of the campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed, said it was “absolute nonsense” to suggest that businesses were closing due to statutory maternity pay, as they could recover the costs from HMRC.

“Statutory maternity pay (SMP) is essential. Most families need two incomes to survive, and without SMP, women will be forced to return to work almost immediately after giving birth.

“Conservatives are meant to be a family party – this statement from Badenoch is yet another example of dog whistle politics that will destroy families, businesses and society as a whole,” he added.