Angela Rayner has issued a furious demand for MPs to sit "through the night" to prevent hereditary peers from derailing her flagship employment rights legislation.
Parliamentary 'Ping Pong' Threatens Key Deadline
The former deputy prime minister launched her attack as a tense legislative standoff, known as 'ping pong', continued between the House of Commons and the House of Lords. With just days remaining before Parliament's Christmas recess, peers have been accused of employing delaying tactics.
The bill must now return to the Lords on Tuesday, with ministers hoping opposition will be dropped so it can receive Royal Assent by Thursday when Parliament rises.
"What's wrong with protecting people from unfair dismissal?" Rayner challenged during a heated debate. She highlighted that a recent government defeat in the Lords by 24 votes was influenced by 33 hereditary peers.
Manifesto Promise on Sick Pay at Risk
Rayner framed the delay as a direct attack on a key Labour manifesto commitment. "What message does this send to the British public... on a manifesto promise on sick pay, for example, which will miss the deadline for April for some of the lowest earners?" she declared.
The clash follows closely after Sir Keir Starmer created 25 new Labour peers last week, a move seen as an attempt to shift the balance in the upper house.
Employment Minister Kate Dearden echoed the urgency, telling MPs: "We have been in ping pong for far too long, and further delay is not in anyone's best interest."
Compromises Made as Caps are Scrapped
In a significant development, MPs later voted by 311 votes to 96, a majority of 215, to remove the cap on compensation for unfair dismissal. This overturned the Lords' vote from the previous week.
To secure the bill's passage, ministers have already made major concessions. They abandoned a policy of day one protection against unfair dismissal, replacing it with a six-month qualifying period following a deal with trade unions.
However, in a late move, the government introduced a measure to scrap the compensation cap for unfair dismissal entirely. The current cap is the lower of 52 weeks' pay or £118,223.
Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith, leading Tory opposition, criticised the removal of the cap. "It wasn't in the manifesto, it wasn't in the bill, it wasn't in the impact assessment," he argued.
The government received backing from six major business groups, including the CBI and British Chambers of Commerce. In a letter to Business Secretary Peter Kyle, they urged peers to back down, warning the agreed six-month compromise could be lost if the 'ping pong' continues.
Mr Kyle stated that "all parties... have made difficult but necessary compromises" and joined calls for the bill to be passed "without further delay".
