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Keir Starmer is under fire from unions and senior Labour figures after a reshuffle stripped away the strongest voices in support of his Employment Rights Bill — raising fears he will weaken protections for working people.

The legislation, due to become law in the coming weeks, promises protection against unfair dismissal and an end to the kind of zero-hours contracts that have been deemed “exploitative” (meaning some of them but not all).

It has been hailed as a once-in-a-generation chance to shift the balance of power in employment rights slightly towards working people.

But union leaders fear Starmer is about to retreat.

Angela Rayner’s resignation, the sacking of employment minister Justin Madders, and the removal of Jonathan Reynolds as business secretary have all been read as signals that the government is cooling on the reforms.

Unison general secretary Christina McAnea — normally loyal to Labour — said she is “genuinely concerned” the government is no longer committed to delivering the bill in full. She warned:

“It doesn’t send out a very good message that the people who were absolutely committed to driving through the employment rights bill are no longer doing those jobs… Any attempt to pull back would be a huge mistake.”

The TUC’s Paul Nowak has also urged Starmer to “stay on course”, while Unite’s Sharon Graham warned bluntly:

“If they don’t become a workers’ government, the workers will seek other answers. The stark warnings are already there.”

She is threatening to ask her members whether they want to cut ties with Starmer’s Labour.

Even Madders, sacked in the reshuffle, said it would be “really, really foolish” to row back on popular manifesto commitments that would show “what a positive difference a Labour government can make”.

Party unrest

The row comes amid wider turmoil for Labour: Emily Thornberry told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that Starmer must stop making mistakes or risk “handing our country to [Nigel] Farage”.

Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, has called for a “reset” and accused the government of becoming too insular.

Meanwhile Labour MPs are privately complaining of “groupthink” in Starmer’s reshaped cabinet, with figures from the party’s right wing elevated while voices like Rayner, Madders, and Reynolds — who had been key supporters of the rights bill — are sidelined.

Business scenting blood

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is openly celebrating the shake-up, claiming it is an opportunity to “fix” the bill.

Its director of policy, Craig Beaumont, pointed to a poll showing 92 per cent of employers are worried by the changes, adding: “All these different measures scare them, and this is a chance to fix the issues.”

“They are overwhelmed by the changes that are coming. They don’t have HR teams. All these different measures scare them, and this is a chance to fix the issues.”

That would mean weakening protections such as guaranteed hours, after a Lords amendment proposed to change the bill from requiring an employer to offer guaranteed hours to a right to request guaranteed hours by an employee.

A crossroads moment

Downing Street insists the legislation will proceed, with the new business secretary Peter Kyle even calling union leaders to reassure them.

A government source claimed the reshuffle was about “boosting growth” and that “higher pay and stronger rights for working people is a key part of the government’s programme”.

But unions — and now Labour heavyweights — clearly don’t believe it.

Starmer is being told he cannot afford another mistake.

If he waters down workers’ rights, he will not just face industrial fury — he risks confirming every fear that his government was never on the side of working people at all.

And as Thornberry warned, that could end with Nigel Farage in 10 Downing Street.

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