Labour MPs attack Starmer U-turn over workers’ rights as ‘complete betrayal’

Former minister says ditching plan for day-one protection against unfair dismissal ‘definitely is a manifesto breach’

Keir Starmer is facing backbench anger after ministers abandoned plans to give workers day-one protection against unfair dismissal, a U-turn that breaches the Labour manifesto.

MPs including a former minister who spearheaded the employment rights bill with the former deputy leader Angela Rayner have voiced concerns over the climbdown announced by the government.

Ministers have axed the proposal to remove the 24-month “qualifying period” for workers to make an unfair dismissal claim and allow them to do so from the first day in a new job, to try to get the legislation through parliament.

The bill was caught in a standoff between peers and MPs over the original plan to give workers the protection on day one, as well as measures to ban “exploitative” zero-hours contracts.