FlyTheNest

""And now we wait for Angela Rayner. The government announced last night it was watering down a key pillar of her workplace reforms in a last-minute U-turn. The changes mean employees will be able to claim unfair dismissal after six months of employment, instead of the promised one day. Six months would still be a drastic reduction from the present 24-month qualifying period enshrined in law. A deal was struck with trade unions to water down the proposals last night after significant delays to the legislation in the Lords. But many Labour MPs are furious at the climbdown, after the party’s election manifesto promised day-one unfair dismissal rights for all workers. Rayner, who championed the legislation while in opposition and government, is now considering opposing the changes in what would be an almighty row with Sir Keir Starmer.

The former deputy prime minister is expected to respond in the coming days, with her allies pointing to the fact Rayner said three weeks ago that she would not countenance any changes to her day-one rights proposals. Justin Madders, the Labour MP who helped Rayner write the legislation, told my colleague Aubrey Allegretti: “We will need a great deal of convincing that this is the right thing to do.” Bridget Phillipson told Times Radio this morning that the U-turn did not breach the manifesto and was "a huge step forward for working people". But one furious soft-left Labour MP told me the government was “deluded” if it “thinks it can rip up an another election promise and expect the public to just swallow it”. They added: “It’s just the latest in a long line of U-turns from this prime minister, and the public won’t trust a word he says going forward.” ""{/quote]
https://link.thetimes.co.uk/view/62e132 ... 1/3af2b32e

refitman wrote: Fri Nov 28, 2025 7:00 pm