During an interview with Times Radio, Badenoch said a key theme of her Tory leadership pitch was to make sure the state interfered less with business.
Badenoch was asked if she thought maternity pay was at the right level.
She said: “Maternity pay varies, depending on who you work for – but statutory maternity pay is a function of tax, tax comes from people who are working.
“We’re taking from one group of people and giving to another. This, in my view, is excessive.
“Businesses are closing, businesses are not starting in the UK, because they say that the burden of regulation is too high.”
She was then asked if her comments meant “maternity pay is excessive”.
Badenoch said: “I think it’s gone too far – too far the other way in terms of general business regulation.”
She added that “the exact amount of maternity pay in my view is neither here nor there.”
Statutory maternity pay starts at 90% of average weekly earnings for six weeks – then falls to the lowest of either £184.03 or 90% of the mother’s average salary for 33 weeks.
Kemi Badenoch is proudly outspoken and seeks to make a virtue out of saying things she thinks others are too meek to take on.
An example of that were her remarks this weekend that not all cultures are equally valid.
She has also repeatedly sought in this campaign to make an argument about broad principles, rather than specific policy promises.
What appears to have happened here is she has attempted to make a broad argument about the size and scope of government, while repeatedly being asked specific questions about maternity pay.
Following the interview, Badenoch posted on X, external: “Contrary to what some have said, I clearly said the burden of regulation on businesses had gone too far… of course I believe in maternity pay!”
She later followed this up with a second social media post, external, where she said: “Of course maternity pay isn’t excessive…no mother of 3 kids thinks that.”
