Some employment perks are more equal than others

The Equality and Human Rights Commission caused a right kerfuffle the other day with its proposals about maternity rights - recommending that statutory maternity leave should be cut from nine months to six to give fathers more paid time off to spend with their children.

This nonsense (which would cost around £5.3bn to introduce) comes from an organisation which, insiders tell me, offers its employees an incredibly generous year off when they add to their brood (six months of which is on full pay). As usual, however, the hypocrisy of these pinkos fails to surprise.

The EHRC was sired after a merger between the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Commission for Racial Equality and the Disability Rights Commission a year or so ago. Under the old regime, EOC new mothers were entitled to a year off on full pay and were apparently rather resentful when, under the merger, this was watered down.