Contributions
2,740 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Employment Rights BillThe point I was making is that the case may go all the way to an employment tribunal, as the hon. Gentleman knows, but there would also be the cost of defending the case even if…21 Oct 2024HANSARD Employment Rights BillNo, I will make a little progress. The cost of all these measures—in individual opportunities and to the wider economy—is huge. The Government may try to deny that, despite their…21 Oct 2024HANSARD Employment Rights BillI am not a trade union member, and I would not know about my colleagues, but I started a business, as did my hon. Friend the Member for South Suffolk (James Cartlidge), as did the…21 Oct 2024HANSARD Employment Rights BillThat is not what my right hon. Friend said at all. I worked with her when she was Business Secretary, and at no point did she ever say that about maternity pay. She was talking…21 Oct 2024HANSARD Employment Rights BillI am very concerned about that. Today there are 4 million more jobs in our economy than there were in 2010, and 1.2 million fewer people are unemployed. I am very worried about…21 Oct 2024HANSARD Employment Rights BillWe deserved to lose the election fair and square, but the hon. Gentleman should look at that result, because it was not a popular vote for Labour. The party’s popularity is…21 Oct 2024HANSARD Employment Rights BillI agree. We should be low tax and low regulation. One of the saving graces of this legislation is the detail, although the Bill itself is light on detail: many of the measures…21 Oct 2024HANSARD Employment Rights BillI will make some progress. The Government’s own impact assessment acknowledges that the measures will mean price rises for consumers and job losses. In it, 40% of firms surveyed…21 Oct 2024HANSARD Employment Rights BillMy right hon. Friend is absolutely right. There speaks somebody who has actually run a business and understands the impact on a small employer. That is why we say there should be…21 Oct 2024HANSARD Employment Rights BillI beg to move an amendment, to leave out from “That” to the end of the Question and add: “this House notes the balanced reforms made by previous Conservative governments to…21 Oct 2024HANSARD Employment Rights BillSorry, though I think the Prime Minister is guilty of similar; I do apologise. The Deputy Prime Minister and the Business Secretary have stated that they have consulted…21 Oct 2024HANSARD Employment Rights BillI agree. I was interested that the Deputy Prime Minister said that her menopause measures would be exclusive to large businesses. I welcome that, and I ask her to look at…21 Oct 2024HANSARD Employment Rights BillMy hon. Friend is right. This morning we met representatives from UKHospitality, who said exactly that: the Bill is coming on the back of a number of changes and some difficult…21 Oct 2024HANSARD Employment Rights BillMy hon. Friend makes a strong point. That certainly needs looking at very carefully. As the Government’s attempt at business consultation has clearly failed, and as no one on…21 Oct 2024HANSARD Employment Rights BillI welcome the fact that there is at least some business experience on the Government Benches. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman joined the wrong party. The hon. Gentleman will recognise…21 Oct 2024HANSARD Employment Rights BillI wish the hon. Member for Dudley (Sonia Kumar) was with me for the hour I spent with the representatives of organisations this morning. They do not feel as she does—that there is…21 Oct 2024HANSARD Employment Rights BillI am happy to give way to the hon. Member for Leeds East.21 Oct 2024HANSARD International Investment SummitThe Chair of the Business and Trade Committee is going to give us one.17 Oct 2024HANSARD International Investment SummitMay I welcome the Minister back to this place and to her new position? I assure her that I am very happy to work with her to further the best interests of the United Kingdom. I…17 Oct 2024HANSARD International Investment SummitThere is no doubt that we have been through a difficult time, given the effect of covid and the cost of living crisis on a services economy, but the right hon. Gentleman will…17 Oct 2024