2024 – What are the implications of Labour’s general election victory? Our latest blog discusses | Consensus HR in Herts & Beds
Our Latest blog: 2024 – Election 2024 & Labour
Following our previous blog which we wrote pre-Election,2024 – What are the implications of Labour’s general election victory? Our latest blog discusses | Consensus HR in Herts & Beds what was to be expected from each of the parties should they win, we have now written what to expect and the implications of Labour winning.
The polls were proved to be correct, and Sir Keir Starmer will return to Parliament as Prime Minister.
Sir Keir and some of those expected to be in his Cabinet such as Rachel Reeves (the likely Chancellor), Angela Rayner (potentially the Levelling Up Secretary) and Wes Streeting (possibly the Health Secretary) have given a number of hints as to what employers can expect from the early months of a Labour-led Parliament.
First steps
The King’s Speech, setting out the new Government’s first programme, will be delivered on 17 July after which Parliament will sit until 31 July before taking a shortened break. Instead of the normal six-week summer recess, the new Prime Minister has said that MPs will have four weeks back in their constituencies before reconvening on 2 September.
Ms Reeves is expected to deliver an Autumn Statement in mid-September which is likely to feature the much-discussed introduction of VAT on private school fees.
Housing and planning
The King’s Speech is expected to focus on the urgent need to build more houses with an instruction to local authorities to review green belt land in their areas. If brownfield sites are proving insufficient for housing needs, then they will be expected to examine green belt possibilities.
A new national policy framework will reintroduce building targets for councils which were removed by Michael Gove during his spell as Levelling Up Secretary. The Shadow Housing Minister, Matt Pennycook, has suggested that compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) may be used to release privately held land for development.
Assuming Ms Rayner is confirmed as Mr Gove’s replacement, she is expected to put forward reforms to planning rules which will speed up the process of approving new housebuilding projects.
Employment
When it comes to employment, we are on firmer predictive ground as the incoming administration’s thinking in this regard was set out in a recent publication, Labour’s Plan to Make Work Pay.
This highlights plans to restrict zero-hours contracts, with stronger anti-avoidance measures being introduced, and to replace the recently published Code of Practice on fire and re-hire practices with a tougher version.
While the document states that Labour will ensure that employers can “operate probationary periods to assess new hires”, it also makes clear that the right not to be unfairly dismissed, sick pay and parental leave will all be in place on the first day of employment.
Among other proposals, the new Government will consult on removing the current distinction between employees and workers, provide for redundancy consultation to be determined by the number of people affected across the whole business rather than in one workplace, and strengthen the existing protections for whistleblowers and workers subject to TUPE processes.
One proposal that seems certain to go ahead is the repeal of the Trade Union Act 2016 and the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 while it is expected that all three-month employment tribunal limitation periods will change to six months.
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Our Comment: – General Election 2024: what are the implications of Labour’s general election victory? | Consensus HR in Herts & Beds UK
Matthew Chilcott, Owner of Consensus HR comments: – “This is a very interesting article following the Election and Labour winning and highlights a lot of what to expect when it comes to HR and Employment Law. It will be interesting to see how they manage Zero-hour Contracts going forward and the introduction of a tougher Code of Practice in relation to fire and rehire. We look forward to the changes and ensuring as always that our clients are kept fully up to date and any amendments to their Policies & Procedures made so that they know they are working to best practice and the law at all times whilst Preventing People Problems.”