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Prime Minister’s aide suggests scrapping maternity leave

It has been reported that Steve Hilton, David Cameron’s Strategy Director, has suggested that the Government should scrap maternity leave.

However, senior Downing Street sources are quoted as calling the ideas 'blue sky thinking' which have no chance of being adopted.

The Financial Times reports being told by a Whitehall insider:

“Steve thinks that they [maternity rights] are the biggest obstacle to women finding work, because companies know they are required by law to offer maternity leave.”

The report suggests Hilton has also floated the idea of suspending all consumer rights legislation for nine months to see what would happen.