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New dads will get an extra two weeks’ paid paternity leave, Ed Miliband will promise today.

He will vow to double the amount of time off for fathers to four weeks under a Labour government.

And he will increase the rate of paternity pay to at least £260 a week, equivalent to the national minimum wage.

The Labour leader said the “father’s month” would help an estimated 400,000 families a year to give their children “the best start in life”.

Dads currently get up to two weeks off and £138.18 a week paternity pay, or 90% of average weekly earnings.

Current make-up of House of Commons Parliament.uk

Mr Miliband said the £150million proposal would be paid for by savings in tax credits by extending free childcare to 25 hours a week for working parents of three and four-year-olds.

He said: “The modern British family needs Government to be more flexible in what it does to help.” Mr Miliband added women under pressure in their careers and dads wanting a hands-on role in childcare were “frustrated by outdated laws and entitlements”.

And he hit out at Tory plans for a £700million-spend married couple’s allowance, saying it “will go to just one in five families with children”.

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Labour has also pledged to reverse Tory cuts to Sure Start, which led to 720 centres closing since 2010.

Mr Miliband said it was “crazy” the centres, helping children in disadvantaged areas, were left “half empty” under the Coalition.

But a Tory spokesman said: “Once again Labour are shaking the magic money tree to pay for unfunded spending commitments.”

Meanwhile, Nick Clegg and Education Secretary Nicky Morgan will today commit £2billion to rebuilding or refurbishing 277 schools across England.

Mr Clegg said: ​“Children can’t learn in cold schools with leaking roofs.”