Half of the public want Britain's next Prime Minister to create a 'Minister for Men', a poll shows.

The survey from respected pollsters ComRes reveals 37 per cent of fathers with children under 18 have not seen them on a Father’s Day or know someone who has not – an estimated 2.3 million men.

And one in five dads said they fear losing, or had already lost contact, with their children, with 22 per cent knowing someone who had experienced this.

The survey from respected pollsters ComRes reveals 37 per cent of fathers with children under 18 have not seen them on a Father’s Day or know someone who has not – an estimated 2.3 million men (stock image)

The polling was commissioned by the controversial Fathers 4 Justice group, known for its colourful protests designed to attract attention to dads caught up in legal battles (campaigner Jason Hatch famously dressed up as Batman on Buckingham Palace balcony)

Founder Matt O'Connor (right) said the public should look beyond 'the activities of our supporters, climbing on buildings dressed as Batman and Robin' and examine the figures that 'lay bare the appalling scale and reality of the challenges fathers face on a daily basis'

A third of men have suffered, or knew someone who had suffered, distress or mental health issues after being denied access to their children.

The polling was commissioned by the controversial Fathers 4 Justice group, known for its colourful protests designed to attract attention to dads caught up in legal battles.

But their founder says the group's history of stunts should not obscure 'the real issues facing millions of men in our country'.

Is your dad a Darth Vader or Mrs Doubtfire? A man disguised as a buxom housekeeper and a Sith Lord might not be ideal father figures, but Mrs Doubtfire and Darth Vader have topped a poll to find the best big-screen dads. Father Fave: Mrs Doubtfire Euphegenia Doubtfire, played by Robin Williams in the 1993 comedy, came first in the survey of 2,000 fathers with 26 per cent of the votes. The film tells the story of a divorced actor who hatches a plan for his ex-wife to hire him as a nanny for his three children. Meanwhile Vader, whose dubious parenting skills saw him chop off his son’s hand in The Empire Strikes Back, came second with 22 per cent, followed by Mufasa, the father of Simba in 1994 Disney animation The Lion King, and Bryan Mills, the ex-CIA operative played by Liam Neeson in 2008’s Taken. Advertisement

Founder Matt O'Connor said the public should look beyond 'the activities of our supporters, climbing on buildings dressed as Batman and Robin' and examine the figures that 'lay bare the appalling scale and reality of the challenges fathers face on a daily basis'.

'Denial of access to their children, estrangement and mental health problems for millions of men has become the norm,' he added.

'Worryingly as we celebrate the role and importance of fathers, few politicians seem bothered to raise these issues, or put forward solutions.'

The group believes the problems facing men are so acute that the next Prime Minister must appoint a 'Minister for Men and Boys'.

And half of British adults surveyed by ComRes agreed that given there is a Minister for Women and Equalities, there should be a Minister for Men. Only one in six members of the public disagree.

The polling also showed nearly half of adults surveyed agreed that organisations such as the Child Support Agency and Child Maintenance Service 'do not treat fathers as equally as mothers', with just seven per cent disagreeing.

When asked whether they agree or disagree that 'family courts treat fathers as equally as mothers', just one in five agreed.

ComRes interviewed 2,082 British adults online between May 29 and June 9, 2019 and 1,015 British fathers.