Demos Comment: Employment Rights Bill passes

On 16 December 2025, Labour’s Employment Rights Bill passed through Parliament, marking what has been described as a “historic day” for working people.

Responding to the news, Anna Garrod, Director of Policy and Impact, said:

“The Employment Rights Bill is undoubtedly a huge step forwards for strengthening protections for zero-hours workers and improving statutory sick pay. But it leaves a critical and overlooked group of workers behind.

Our research with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) highlights the experiences of people in insecure work – so-called Limb (b) workers – who face long hours, gig-based roles, financial instability, and deteriorating mental and physical health, often without adequate access to the social safety net.

The upcoming employment status review is a key opportunity for the government to demonstrate it hasn’t forgotten these people. At Demos we urge the government to now honour a key commitment of the Labour manifesto: to explore how to expand employment rights for Limb (b) workers, including potentially replacing the Limb (b) status with a unified employee framework, so all workers can access fair protections and security.”

ENDS

CONTACT: 

Lottie Skeggs, Communications Manager: [email protected]

NOTES TO EDITORS:  

Demos’s “‘Barely Getting By’” report – in partnership with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation – uncovers UK citizens’ experiences of employment, insecurity and hardship today.