Labour wants guardianship rights for unmarried fathers

UNMARRIED fathers should be given the automatic right of guardianship of their children, the Labour party has insisted.

Launching draft legislation intended to modernise family law, the party’s equality spokeswoman Kathleen Lynch said it was time to stop discriminating against men.

With one in three children now being born to couples who are not officially married, Ms Lynch warned it was essential to guarantee the rights of fathers in case of a breakdown in the relationship.