Britain Backs Paternity Leave but Slams Early Prisoner Release

Britain split almost down the middle on whether fathers should get six weeks of well-paid paternity leave, yet the narrowest of mandates for Should the UK introduce six weeks of well-paid paternity leave for fathers? hid a striking generational chasm. The age group actually having babies now backed it almost unanimously, while every under-25 voter here said no.

That tension defined the day. On Should the government continue its early prisoner release scheme? the country said a firm no, with pensioners proving surprisingly sympathetic while the young led the charge against it. Voters also decided a trillion is indeed too much wealth for one man, though the 35-44s alone sided with Musk’s fortune while elders and juniors did not.

The verdicts

Should Scotland become independent? produced a clear no that barely moved from 2014, the 55-64 bracket remaining immovable. Should the UK government replace Personal Independence Payment with a new disability benefit? saw rare welfare consensus, nearly three in four backing change with only women genuinely split.

On energy and the economy the country spoke with unusual clarity. Should the government reform energy policy to cut business costs? and Should the government remove policy costs from business electricity bills to boost economic growth? both passed by four in five, the over-65s the only hesitant cohort. Should the UK impose further sanctions on Russia's FSB and GRU over Turla cyber attacks? drew near-uniform support across every age bracket.

Should the UK introduce a legal duty of candour on public officials to tell the truth in inquiries? was the closest thing to unanimity, passing by 62 votes to three. Should UK-born children of Graduate route visa holders be allowed to apply as dependants? met unexpected resistance and fell. Should the UK ban imports from Israeli West Bank settlements? looked like a coin toss nationally but women and the 55-64s rejected it almost to a person. Should the government spend £3.85bn a year on average to adapt to extreme heat? passed on the backs of the under-35s while their elders split down the middle.

Voting continues tomorrow.

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