Fathers in the UK could get a 12-week paternity package, according to a new report.
The proposal is part of Theresa May's legacy plans and would see new dads receive 90 per cent of their salary for the first four weeks of their leave.
The plan also seeks to give dads a further eight weeks off on a standard flat rate, in bid to give them more time at home with mum and bond with their newborn.
However, a source has told The Sun that the proposal still needs to be ironed out with Business Secretary Greg Clark, with a focus on how the new paternity leave would impact on firms with high earners.
Tory MP Kevin Hollinrake has also said that companies shouldn't be pushed "too far, too quickly" in accepting new paternity leave rules.
He said: "Firms are under huge pressure whether it's paying the national living wage or coping to keep up with crippling business rates.
"Small to medium-sized firms need time to adjust and the measures will need to be properly consulted on."
Currently, fathers are entitled to up two weeks' paid leave from their work as standard, but some companies offer more generous packages.
The proposals would mean that new fathers get £148.68 per week, or 90 per cent of their average earnings, whichever is lower.
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In light of the report, research revealed that only nine per cent of companies currently offer more than two weeks' paternity leave while one in four dads didn't receive paternity pay in 2018.
Former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg previously pushed through shared parental leave in the coalition government in 2015.
A government source told the publication that: "Plans are still being discussed" when responding to the paternity proposal, which the PM wants to make part of her legacy plan before she leaves Downing Street in July.
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