Employment Rights Bill

Lord Cromwell Excerpts

Consideration of Commons amendments and / or reasons
Wednesday 10th December 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Sentamu (CB)]

My Lords, I thank the Minister, who is new at the Dispatch Box, for explaining things quite clearly. I am thankful for the Government accepting that amendment, which has clearly enabled the country to feel, when people take on jobs, that there is a qualifying period, although not an indefinite one. I said in your Lordships’ House that I was like a gramophone playing a record that was stuck in a groove. The Government have given me a new needle and I am out of that groove, so I thank them very much.

[Lord Cromwell (CB)]

My Lords, I will speak fairly briefly in support of Motion D1 from the noble Lord, Lord Burns. This has become known as the hokey-cokey amendment—opt in, opt out, opt in, opt out, through the chain of amendments that have been put down. I support the vital role of trade unions, but I find it hard to understand why legislation should be used to steer—or, if you prefer, nudge—employees towards funding political causes.

The noble Lord, Lord Burns, has shifted a very long way from his original amendment. All the amendments now require is a checkbox at the start to allow employees to opt out if they so wish. This is surely the absolute minimum that should be available to them. I would have preferred asking trade union members if they wished to opt in, as a positive statement, rather than to opt out, which is a negative that would perhaps attract black marks in the membership list of their union. It does the Government no credit to seek to deny employees this opt-in choice. However, like the noble Lords, Lord Fox and Lord Vaux, I am reluctant to extend ping-pong, and I will be guided by the noble Lord whose amendment this is.