Employment Rights Bill

James Wild Excerpts

Consideration of Lords amendments
Monday 15th September 2025 Commons Chamber

Lords amendments 23 and 106 to 120 seek to reduce the qualifying period for unfair dismissal from two years to six months, while preserving existing exemptions. The Government do not support the amendments. We were elected on a manifesto to provide protection from unfair dismissal from day one of employment.

[James Wild (North West Norfolk) (Con)]

I am grateful to the Secretary of State for giving way; he is being very generous. Can he explain why, before he took up his present post and took responsibility for the Bill, no assessment was made of the hiring practices that would occur if the unfair dismissal period was reduced from two years? Why was no modelling done? It is in the Labour party manifesto, but where is the evidence of what it will do to jobs and economy? That is what my constituents are concerned about.

[Peter Kyle]

Of course many of the hon. Gentleman’s constituents will be concerned about their workforce protections, and those who are setting up, running and managing businesses will want us to get the balance right as well, but we have many years of experience that have informed the decisions we have taken, and our engagement with trade unions and other bodies has ensured that we have got that balance right.