Kate Dearden, responsible for driving through new worker protection laws, wants legislation to ‘level the playing field’ for employees
10 November 2025
Recently appointed employment rights minister Kate Dearden has warned that workers’ protections have “not kept pace” with changes in the workplace.
Speaking at the CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition last week, she said “employment rights must reflect the reality of work today”, adding that the employment rights bill was “a critical part of updating them”.
Dearden replaced Justin Madders as employment rights minister in September, following a reshuffle of junior ministers by prime minister Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner’s forced departure as his deputy.
How to prepare managers for the employment rights bill
The employment rights bill will return to the House of Lords after the government rejected its suggested amendments for a second time last month.
Acknowledging employer concerns, Dearden stressed the government’s intention to work closely with businesses during upcoming consultations to refine the details through secondary legislation.
Dearden said many employers that already exceeded the proposed requirements were frustrated by being undercut by organisations that fail to pay fair wages or treat staff properly. The bill aims to “level the playing field”, she added.
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