Paid Carer's Leave and Hugh's Law, What the Government's New Consultation Actually Proposes

The government opened a public consultation on 9 June 2026 on new employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children. The proposals include paid carer's leave, a formal right to return to work after an intensive period of caring, and new guidance for employers, measures ministers say could bring thousands more people back into the workforce and save the economy billions.

Currently, unpaid carers have a right to one week of unpaid leave per year under the Carer's Leave Act 2023. That law only came into force in April 2024, and this consultation marks the government's formal review of whether it goes far enough. It also fulfils a commitment made when the Employment Rights Act 2025 was passed, to look specifically at the situation of parents whose children are seriously ill.

Who this is about

Census data shows that around 2.8 million people aged 16 and over in the UK are in paid employment while also providing unpaid care. Many are caring for an elderly parent, a partner with a long term illness, or a child with complex needs. The reality for a significant number is that caring responsibilities eventually force a choice, reduce hours, delay a return to work after a break, or leave employment altogether.

The government's announcement cites a Department for Work and Pensions analysis published in March 2025 that puts the cost of working age ill health and disability that prevents work at between £240 billion and £330 billion per year. Within that figure, lost output from unpaid carers who are out of work is estimated at £37 billion annually, a calculation based on around 550,000 working age carers who are out of work specifically because of their caring responsibilities.

The government's position is that better workplace protections could bring a substantial number of those carers back into employment, reducing both the human cost to individuals and the broader economic drag.

What Hugh's Law means

The consultation includes proposals that have become known as Hugh's Law, named in memory of Hugh Menai-Davis, who died at the age of six from cancer in 2021. His family, together with their charity It's Never You, have campaigned for better support for parents who suddenly face a child's serious illness while also trying to keep their careers.

A serious diagnosis does not arrive with notice. Parents dealing with a child in intensive care, or undergoing cancer treatment, face an immediate clash between the demands of hospitals, appointments, and caring with the expectations of an employer. Currently, there is no specific paid leave entitlement for this situation. Parental leave and emergency leave provisions exist, but they were not designed for the sustained and unpredictable demands of a seriously ill child.

The case for paid carer's leave

The Carer's Leave Act 2023 gave unpaid carers a statutory right to one week of leave per year for the first time. Before that, there was no legal entitlement at all. But the leave is unpaid, which means those least financially secure, often those already under strain from reduced hours or irregular work are least likely to use it.

The consultation asks whether this should change. Carers UK, which attended the Minister for Employment Rights announcement at TSB's London offices on 8 June, has welcomed the consultation as a "significant moment" in their campaign for stronger carer protections. TSB itself noted that its own internal paid carers leave policy offering 70 hours of additional paid leave per year has had a measurable positive effect on staff retention and wellbeing.

How to respond

The consultation is open to anyone. Ministers have specifically invited responses from carers with direct experience, parents who have had a seriously ill child, employers of all sizes, organisations that support unpaid carers, and those with expertise in workplace policy.

The document covers the existing framework, the evidence gathered through an independent research report commissioned from Verian, based on interviews with 50 unpaid carers about their experiences at work and a series of specific questions on what changes would be most useful.

Where this fits in the broader picture

This consultation sits within the government's Make Work Pay agenda, which also produced the Employment Rights Act 2025. That Act introduced changes to zero hours contracts, flexible working requests, and unfair dismissal protections, among other measures. The review of carer's leave was explicitly committed to as part of that legislation.

The Carer's Leave Act itself came from a private member's bill introduced by Wendy Chamberlain MP in the previous parliament. Its passage was considered a significant step, but campaigners were clear at the time that unpaid leave was only a starting point. This consultation is the next formal stage of that process.

The consultation runs alongside a separately published research report commissioned from Verian, which documents the lived experience of 50 unpaid carers trying to balance work and care. That report, published on 12 June 2026 as an update to the consultation page, is intended to inform the government's assessment of what further support is genuinely needed.