Unions have condemned Reform UK's proposal to scrap key Labour legislation protecting workers and renters, accusing Nigel Farage of siding with 'bad bosses and rogue landlords'. Deputy leader Richard Tice announced the 'Great Repeal Bill' would tear up the Renters' Rights Act and the Employment Rights Act, which include provisions on parental leave, unfair dismissal, and protection against no-fault evictions.
Unison general secretary Andrea Egan said: 'The mask’s off. Reform UK has shown what it really thinks of working people. The millionaires calling the shots in Reform don’t think those putting in a hard day’s graft deserve basic rights or fair pay.' TUC general secretary Paul Nowak added: 'They call it the Great Repeal. It’s actually the Great Steal. Reform wants to strip power from ordinary people and hand it to bad bosses, rogue landlords and climate-denying corporations.'
The plans would also scrap 'Awaab's Law', introduced after the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak from mould exposure, and end net-zero commitments. Tice argued that Labour's legislation is reducing rental properties and driving up prices, saying: 'Too many landlords have said enough is enough.' Reform would also block new local government workers from joining defined-benefit pension schemes, moving them to defined-contribution plans instead.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: 'Nigel Farage has declared war on the interests of working people.' Tom Darling of the Safe Sick Pay campaign warned that removing sick pay measures would 'do huge harm to millions of workers'. Farage denied siding with exploitative business owners, calling the worker-versus-owner divide 'outdated'.
