Angela Rayner is set to challenge Sir Keir Starmer over his decision to water down her flagship employment rights bill.
She will urge the Prime Minister to speed up the reforms in her first policy intervention since she was forced to quit as Labour’s deputy leader.
This follows Downing Street’s decision to yield to opposition in the Lords and abandon plans to give workers day one rights against unfair dismissal.
The move directly violates the party’s manifesto and has angered backbenchers who fear that more concessions on the bill will follow.
While allies said Ms. Rayner’s intervention was intended to be constructive, it may become a focal point for broader dissatisfaction with Sir Keir.
Tycoon who 'ordered rival's death' owns hotel where 76 refugee children vanished
It will also be viewed as the first step in a potential political comeback and comes amid increasing doubts about the Prime Minister’s long-term future.
She was forced to resign in September when The Telegraph revealed she had failed to pay £40,000 of stamp duty on a flat she purchased in Hove.
Since then, she has stayed out of the spotlight, except for a low-key resignation speech in which she admitted her “honestly made mistake.”
But the former Cabinet minister is still widely believed to hold leadership ambitions, and is said to be consulting colleagues about a comeback.
Her initial move was widely expected to focus on the employment rights bill, a series of reforms she strongly supported while in office.
Under a compromise between ministers and the unions, workers’ right to take employers to tribunal will now begin after six months.
This is down from the current two-year period, and the changes are slated to come into effect in 2027, though no exact date has been announced.
Ms. Rayner is set to challenge Downing Street to implement the reforms more quickly, stating that unfair dismissal rights should be introduced next year.
She will propose a Commons amendment on Wednesday along with Justin Madders, the former employment minister who led the legislation.
According to The Guardian, she will argue that businesses should already be prepared, meaning there is no reason not to expedite the process.
Labour legends honour Margaret McDonagh who was essential force behind 1997 win
The amendment will also require the Government to extend such rights to workers on zero-hours and variable contracts, the paper reported.
Moreover, it would force ministers to introduce fines for employers who deny union representatives access to their workplaces.
‘Groundswell of support’
Allies of Ms. Rayner said they hoped Peter Kyle, the Business Secretary, would accept the plans before MPs vote on them next week.
If that happens, the amendment would not need to proceed. If ministers choose to oppose it, they are confident of a “groundswell of support.”
Labour MPs have vowed to oppose any further weakening of the bill, and the change on unfair dismissal rights cannot be the “thin end of the wedge.”
“Not only can there be no more watering down, but there is now a growing appetite on the Labour benches to go further and faster in delivering tangible rights at work that people can feel in their day-to-day lives,” one told The Guardian.
“We’re drawing a line in the sand.”
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
