Give men a year off to care for baby - Lib-Dem chief

London: Men should be able to take up to a year off work after becoming fathers, says Nick Clegg.

The Liberal Democrat leader, whose wife Miriam Gonzalez Durantez is due to give birth to their third child next month, is calling for a shake-up of paternity leave laws.

But business chiefs are likely to be alarmed by his demand for parental leave of up to 19 months. Currently, new fathers can take two weeks' paid paternity leave, condemned by Clegg as pathetic.

He echoed the concerns of many experts that the lack of a father figure can be partly to blame for social problems and crime.

Role model

Clegg wants fathers to be allowed to stay at home for up to a year if the mother returns to work after six months. He said this would allow men to spend time with a child beyond the "cooing and wiping phase".

He added: "One of the great crises for children, particularly for boys, is a lack or absence of positive male role models."