Delivering greater dignity and security for workers

Since becoming your MP in 2024, my core priority has been supporting working families and getting people back into employment and contributing to our economy.

That’s why I was so keen to sit on the committee steering the government’s Employment Rights Bill through Parliament.

Last week, the new law, and a raft of other measures, started to come into force. Together, they will not just strengthen dignity and security at work, but also tackle the cost of living.

The Employment Rights Act bans exploitative zero-hours contracts and “fire and rehire”; enhances protections for workers who “blow the whistle” on sexual harassment; and ensures “day one” rights for sick pay and paternity leave.

As a dad, I know just how important and precious the time parents get to spend with our newborn babies is. I’m a long-time supporter of The Dad Shift, which campaigns for better paternity leave and last month I hosted an event in parliament for High Peak resident Pete Wallroth and the team from Mummy’s Star. The charity – which was founded by Pete in memory of his wife, Mair, who tragically passed away from cancer shortly after the birth of their son – is currently campaigning to allow pregnant women and mums diagnosed with cancer to defer or pause maternity leave while they’re undergoing treatment.

The government is also continuing its drive to make work pay. Under the Conservatives, the number of children growing up in poverty in households where at least one parent works grew by over 900,000. Here in High Peak, by the time the Tories left office, over 70 percent of kids in poverty lived in working households.

Labour is tackling this problem head on. This month, the National Living Wage increased, boosting pay by £900 for those working full time and benefitting around 1,000 employees here in High Peak. At the same time, a rise in the National Minimum Wage will provide a £1,500 boost for over 200,000 young workers.

These pay rises are accompanied by other measures to cut the cost of living for working parents. They are now eligible for 30 hours of free childcare – saving families up to £7,500 per child every year. We’re rolling out breakfast clubs, including at Peak Forest, New Mills and Bamford Primary right here in the High Peak, saving parents £450 per year. And the two-child benefit cap, which disproportionately affects parents in work, has been scrapped – benefitting 111,000 children and 30,350 families in the East Midlands.

As I saw firsthand working on the bill, the Tories and Reform fought tooth and nail against the Employment Rights Act – and even now Nigel Farage is committed to stripping working people of the vital protections it contains.

By contrast, Labour’s approach is designed to prevent good employers being unfairly undercut by those who choose to exploit and underpay their workers. It ensures people have the peace of mind of knowing they’ll be paid if they’re sick. And it guarantees

people are paid fairly for the work they do.