In a significant policy reversal, the Government has abandoned its commitment to provide workers with day-one protection against unfair dismissal, breaching a key Labour manifesto pledge.
Manifesto Promise Broken
The controversial U-turn means employees will no longer gain the right to claim unfair dismissal from their first day in a new job, despite this being a central promise in Labour's election platform. Ministers have completely axed the proposal that would have dramatically cut the current qualifying period for making such claims.
Revised Employment Rights Framework
Instead of implementing day-one protection, the Government has settled on a compromise that will see workers become eligible to claim unfair dismissal after six months of employment. While this represents a reduction from the current two-year requirement, it falls significantly short of the original manifesto commitment that sparked the Employment Rights Bill.
The legislation had become caught in a parliamentary stand-off between peers and MPs over the day-one protection plan, leading ministers to remove the contentious proposal in a bid to get the bill through Parliament.
Political Fallout and Reaction
Several MPs, including a former minister who worked alongside ex-deputy leader Angela Rayner to spearhead the Employment Rights Bill, have publicly expressed concerns about the Government's climbdown. The abandonment of what was considered a fundamental workers' rights commitment has created substantial political tension within Westminster.
The policy reversal comes as the Daily Mail continues to gauge public opinion on employment matters and government decisions. In yesterday's poll, which attracted over 14,000 responses, an overwhelming 97% of readers believed Rachel Reeves should apologise for raising taxes in the Budget despite earlier promises not to do so.
