An impact assessment carried out on behalf of the European Parliament has revealed that the cost of extending maternity leave to 20 weeks at full pay in the UK alone will be a staggering €3 billion (£2.5 billion) per annum.

However, MEPs will not be able to make a fully informed decision when they come to vote on the proposal in October as the impact assessment only considers the costs and benefits for 10 out of the 27 member states.