Britain's new Labour leader to take paternity leave

Nov 8, 2010, 14:05 GMT

London - Britain's new opposition leader Ed Miliband confirmed Monday he would take two weeks' paternity leave, after the birth of his second son.

Miliband, who became leader of the Labour party in September after a narrow victory over his brother David, said he and his partner were overjoyed at the arrival of the boy, who has not yet been named.

Miliband, already has a 17-month-old boy, Daniel, with his partner, barrister Justine Thornton.

It means both the leader of the opposition and the Prime Minister, David Cameron, are currently fathers of new-born babies.

Cameron and his wife Samantha celebrated the birth of their fourth child, Florence, in August.

The prime minister has two other children, Nancy and Arthur. Their first boy Ivan was born severely disabled and died aged six in February, 2009.

Miliband said through a spokesman that he would take two weeks paternity leave to help look after the new-born, who had not yet been given a name.

When media profiles were written about him during the leadership campaign, Miliband admitted that he was 'embarrassed' to have forgotten to register his name as the father of Daniel on his birth certificate.

He and Thornton, also 40, would 'get around to marrying at some point,' he said.

Nick Clegg, the Liberal deputy prime minister, has three boys aged between 18 months and 8 years.

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