Len McCluskey: We need a two-thirds threshold to protect EU-derived rights

Parliament should establish a requirement for a two-thirds majority in order to provide an obstacle to the rolling back of workers’ rights after Brexit, Len McCluskey has said.

People “did not vote to be worse off”, the Unite general secretary said, no matter how they voted in last year’s referendum on Europe.

“UK workers are already the cheapest and easiest to sack in Europe, a shameful state of affairs for an advanced economy. To this the government must not add that UK workers are the easiest to exploit.”

“Let’s build on a precedent that the House of Commons has already accepted – the two-thirds majority needed to secure an election under fixed-term parliament legislation – to put in place similar hurdles that must be cleared before any EU-derived law can be wiped from the UK statute books once transferred over,” he added.

McCluskey warns that there are “too many on the Conservative benches who see Brexit as their moment to destroy employment rights”.

“They will waste no time in destroying vital laws like the working time directive, a measure that is not red tape but essential protection for workers and the public alike. Our roads are safer, for example, because under EU law lorry drivers must rest.”

“But this hurdle would also provide an essential corrector to the enormous powers that the government can give itself using measures established 500 years ago by Henry VIII. This threshold would secure a voice for people in parliament during the most challenging time for our nations in generations.”

“So I appeal to MPs from all sides of the House to support this proposal. It would send a clear signal to working people right across the UK that their rights are safe under a Conservative government. That way, we can all focus on the task in hand, getting the best deal for this country from the Brexit process.”