FATHERS will be offered longer paternity leave under the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg will pledge today.

The Lib Dem leader will outline plans to triple the amount of time dads can take off after their child’s birth from two weeks to six weeks.

Next week, shared parental leave and pay comes into effect, making 285,000 working couples eligible to share time off, if the mother opts to end her maternity leave early.

After the first two weeks recovery period that mothers must take off after birth, up to 50 weeks leave – and 37 weeks of pay – can be shared.

But Mr Clegg will vow to go further, saying: “For too long, mums have been told their place is at home with their child, while dads return to work. I want parents to choose for themselves how to balance work and family.”

The new Lib Dem policy would be exclusively for fathers, at the prevailing statutory rate for paternity pay which is £138.18.