Milburn: I'm so glad I quit

Former Health Secretary Alan Milburn today urged more fathers to copy his example and downsize their jobs to spend time with their families.

Ten months after quitting as Health Secretary, he called on firms to let new fathers take a year's paid leave to help look after their babies and to give all parents more flexible working hours.

But Mr Milburn, who became Britain's best known downsizer when he walked out of the Cabinet last June, told the Evening Standard he was not ruling out a comeback to Government - or even standing as a future Prime Minister.

"To be completely honest, I am today much, much happier than I was when I was in the Cabinet," he said. "My life is a million times better, with much less worry and much more time. If I was asked today if I wanted to return to it, the answer would be 'no'. But you can never say never and I don't know how I will feel in five years, or even two or three years' time.

"As for being Prime Minister it is not - at this moment, as I speak today - what I want to do with my life. And I really believe that you have to decide what you want in your life and then do it. This isn't a dress rehearsal and you cannot have everything."

While he spoke of the joys of

renewed fatherhood, his sons Joe, 12, and Danny, six, were in the outer room of his office at the Commons playing games on his secretary's computer.

His partner Ruth Briel, an NHS psychiatrist, had been forced to go back to their home in County

Durham - leaving him in charge of the children for a few days. He looked more flustered and tired than he ever did as a minister. "It's not easy balancing work and family life," he admitted.

Mr Milburn struck a chord with fathers everywhere with his dramatic-exit from the political front line. He received "hundreds" of letters, many of them from people wishing they could do the same. "Most applauded my decision but lamented the fact they were not in a position to do the same."

He admitted he was "very lucky" in having an MP's salary of £56,358 to fall back on when he gave up his ministerial pay of £129,220.

Now he is championing the cause of parents who would like the same opportunity with a missionary zeal. In a speech today to the Social Market Foundation, he was calling for a radical change in culture to give working parents back to their families.

"What irritates me is the media impression this is just a chatteringclass issue. It affects millions of families and the ones who are squeezed hardest are those at the bottom of the ladder.

"It's clear millions of dads are longing for a bigger role in bringing up their kids and the poorer they are the less opportunity they have to change."

His idea for fathers to take up to a year's paid leave will probably raise a hollow laugh in busy offices, where only a small handful have even dared take up their new right to unpaid time off.

But Mr Milburn believes change would be forced on recalcitrant employers as the pool of skilled labour dried up.

He said: "We are heading to achieving full employment in Britain, which means there is a growing premium on keeping the best employees. Employers will be increasingly competing for good staff.

"I think we can change the culture of the workplace, where long hours and stamina are prized rather than flexibility."

Mr Milburn is now happily taking turns at the school run, but the selfconfessed adrenaline junkie admits he misses the power of ministerial rank.

"I miss being able to get up at 5am and make an immediate difference. If you are in Government you can pull levers and get things done. But I haven't regretted my decision for a single minute."