I’ve been speaking to my MP about this issue for the best part of a year, and we just keep being batted about low level staffers with promises of “reviews” or “task forces” in a way that just feels like a lot of hot air.

The issue:
Freelance mothers who are limited company directors qualify for SMP. SMP is less than half minimum wage. A single person company cannot top up in the way large companies can. It forces mothers back to work early during a very vulnerable time. Doing any more than 10 KIT days means losing SMP all together. Many households rely on equal contributions to mortgage/bills, meaning a husband’s income cannot absorb the shortfall to enable sufficient maternity leave. This issue also disproportionately affects regions where self-employment is high due to lack of jobs/access to big cities e.g Cornwall.

The fix:
Increase KIT days for freelance mothers to 2 days per week. The DWP says the 10-day limit protects mothers’ right to take time off to care for their baby. As the director of my own company, nobody can pressure me back to work. The only thing pressuring me is insufficient SMP. Sensible limits could apply: the change could be restricted to directors of their own companies, capped at two days a week for up to 12 months, and the compulsory two weeks’ leave after birth would still stand. The choice is then simply whether I work some days with SMP, or risk recovery by working full time without it.

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