London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025

Boris Johnson accused of backtracking on workers’ rights pledge

Boris Johnson accused of backtracking on workers’ rights pledge

PM leaves out landmark reforms to zero-hours contracts and gig economy from Queen’s speech
Boris Johnson has been accused of backtracking on a promise to boost workers’ rights after leaving out landmark reforms to zero-hours contracts and the gig economy from the Queen’s speech.

Employers’ groups and trade unions said the prime minister risked “levelling down on jobs” after the setpiece event used to open parliament did not include proposals for an employment bill among his government’s priorities.

First pledged in December 2019, the bill was supposed to be the government’s main vehicle for raising workplace protections after Brexit while also acting to safeguard gig economy workers from abusive employers and exploitative contracts.

Frances O’Grady, the general secretary of the TUC, said the government was rowing back from its commitments at a pivotal moment for workers.

“This pandemic has brutally exposed the terrible working conditions and insecurity many of our key workers in retail, care, and delivery face,” she said. “We need action now to deal with the scourge of insecure work – not more dithering and delay.”

Warren Kenny, the acting general secretary of the GMB union, said workers had been “fobbed off repeatedly” by ministers promising to boost employment protections, leaving bosses free to use underhand tactics with impunity.

“Warm words on workers’ rights are betrayed by this government’s abject lack of leadership. This is an historic missed opportunity at a time when unscrupulous employers are exploiting the pandemic to attack good quality jobs,” he said.

The Guardian reported earlier this year that the bill could be delayed until at least the autumn or early 2022 amid concern that ideological opposition within the Conservative party around employment rights was standing in the way of progress.

Andy McDonald, the shadow employment secretary, said leaving the bill out of the Queen’s speech was the latest example of government rhetoric not matching the reality.

Government sources suggested the pandemic was having a profound impact on the jobs market and that ministers were waiting for the right time to implement reforms to ensure the needs of businesses and workers were addressed in the post-Covid economy.

While the jobs market has stabilised in recent months as lockdown measures are relaxed, helped by the furlough scheme, redundancies rose at the fastest rate on record late last year. However, experts said boosting employment rights had been made more important during the crisis, not less.

The employment bill was also widely viewed as vital for protecting the rights of pregnant workers and improving gender equality in the UK, with campaigners hoping it would provide greater protections for pregnant women against being made redundant, address the low take-up of shared parental leave, provide neonatal leave for parents and make flexible working the default option for employees.

Caroline Nokes, the Conservative chair of the Commons women and equalities committee said the bill was necessary to have a proper focus on female employment.

“We know that women have been particularly impacted by the pandemic and the sectors that have traditionally had a huge proportion of female jobs have been very much impacted. So we need to have a focus on how we can make sure that women – as well as young people, men, older workers – find routes back into work,” she said.

Downing Street insisted the government was still committed to bringing back an employment bill. A spokesperson said: “Through this legislation we are determined to build a high skill, high productivity, high wage economy that delivers on our ambition to make the UK one of the best places in the world to work, and to grow a business.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
×