“Show working people whose side you are on”

My message to the government from this year’s TUC Congress was simple: show working people whose side you are on.

Since taking office Labour has delivered some really important things.

We’ve seen new investment in our public services.  The return of a proper industrial strategy. Our railways starting to come back into public ownership. The launch of publicly-owned GB Energy. And the repeal of the Tories’ spiteful anti-strike laws.

These are real achievements. But for too many people change doesn’t yet feel real or tangible.

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The cost of living crisis is still biting hard, insecurity is rife in our workplaces and millions are struggling to put food on the table. Millions more find the things they used to take for granted – a day out for the kids or a holiday – out of their reach.

That’s why passing the Employment Rights Bill in full, and as quickly as possible, is so vital. Work should guarantee dignity and security. Right now it doesn’t.

On Tuesday the Trussell Trust published grim new statistics that underline the scale of the crisis.

More than 14.1 million people in the UK faced hunger in the past year because they couldn’t afford the basics – a shocking increase from 11.6 million in 2022.

And here’s the most telling figure of all: three in ten people referred to Trussell food banks come from working households. Paid employment no longer protects families from hardship. That should shame us all.

We must end Britain’s insecure work epidemic. That means ministers acting decisively on three fronts.

First – overturn the wrecking amendments forced through by the Tories and Lib Dems in the Lords. Frankly, the sight of hereditary peers trying to deny low-paid carers and cleaners fairer treatment is disgraceful.

Second – the government needs to crack on with the implementation – and ignore the inevitable doomsday warnings from some parts of the business lobby. These are the same voices who opposed the minimum wage back in the 1990s. They were wrong then, and they are wrong now. The Employment Rights Bill is good for workers, and good for decent employers too. It levels the playing field and stops bad bosses undercutting those who do the right thing.

Third – this bill gives Labour a powerful tool to take the fight to Reform. Nigel Farage can cosplay as a workers’ champion all he likes, but the record speaks for itself: he voted against banning zero-hours contracts and against giving millions day-one rights at work.

This legislation draws a clear dividing line. It’s popular with voters right across the political spectrum – including many who lean towards Reform. Let’s use it to show up Farage for the plastic patriot he is.

In my speech to Congress I reminded delegates that the Labour movement is at its best when it is ambitious for working people.

Eighty years ago, Labour and the unions rebuilt Britain from the ashes of war. We can do it again. That means levelling up rights at work. It means fairer taxes on wealth to fund the services we all rely on. And it means investing in good, secure jobs in every corner of the country.

That’s what real change looks like. Let’s get on with it.