Angela Rayner drops plan to force earlier implementation after talks, says source, with start date to be announced in Commons
Ministers will speed up the implementation of protections against unfair dismissal for workers so that they start from 2027 after brokering a compromise with Angela Rayner.
Rayner, the former deputy prime minister and architect of the employment rights bill, had been planning to lay an amendment to ensure the protections come into force from early next year. But she will no longer do so after conversations with Peter Kyle, the business secretary.
Ministers will instead make a commitment in the Commons on Monday to implement protections against unfair dismissal for workers with six months of service, starting on 1 January 2027.
Ministers had previously committed only to implementing the change at some point next year, with October 2027 being one date under discussion.
A government source said: “We are happy to have a clear date for this change. Now the House of Lords need to get on and pass this landmark bill so business can get the clarity they need and workers can get the security they deserve.”
Anyone employed from July 2026 will benefit from the decision as the protections will immediately apply to workers who already have six months service or more.
Rayner’s intervention came after considerable Labour anger at the decision to axe day-one protection against unfair dismissal enshrined in the bill, and replace it with a qualifying period of six...
Donald Trump's claim that Nato troops avoided the front line in Afghanistan has sparked widespread outrage among veterans and their families. Ben Parkinson, a severely injured British paratroope...