Angela Rayner to lay amendment to speed up workers’ rights bill
The former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner will lay an amendment on Wednesday to speed up the workers rights’ bill, after “considerable anger” that unelected Lords forced the watering down of day-one rights.The amendment would mean the new shorter qualifying period is in place by early next year.A number of MPs have told the Guardian that while they accept the need for the change, they fear that the climbdown by the government will embolden peers and critics of the bill to push for further changes.Rayner, who was the driving force behind the legislation in government, is understood to have accepted the compromise to remove day-one rights against unfair dismissal and replace it with a reduced qualifying period, down from two years to six months.Trade unions have mostly accepted the compromise – arguing that the alternative of a nine-month probation period needed extra time for consultation amid worries it was unworkable.
Unions also secured the lifting of the compensation cap for claims, a long-term goal.But the decision by the business secretary, Peter Kyle, to abandon day-one rights for unfair dismissal claims is a direct breach of Labour’s manifesto.Rayner is understood to be working on the amendment with the former employment minister Justin Madders, having met a number of MPs over the weekend who expressed frustration at the hold-ups to the bill caused by Conservative and Lib Dem peers in the Lords.One Labour MP involved in the discussions said: “This can’t be the thin of the wedge and we won’t let it be.Not only can there be no more watering down, but there is now growing appetite on the Labour benches to go further and faster in delivering tangible rights at work that people can feel in their day-to-day lives.
We’re drawing a line in the sand.”Rayner will argue on Wednesday that because the new compromise is simply shortening the current system, it does not need consultation and thus the change must be implemented much faster.A Labour source said there was “growing consensus” in the parliamentary Labour party that moves needed to be made to strengthen the bill and implement it faster after the “intransigence” in the Lords.“As key architects of the bill, they know it inside out,” a source close to Rayner said.“They will be spearheading efforts to ensure the best possible package of reform is delivered and implemented to an ambitious timeline.
”The bill will return to the Commons next week, where MPs hope to vote on Rayner’s amendment that would bring forward the reduction to the qualifying period from 2027 to 2026.It will also include measures to ensure workers on zero-hours or variable contracts are not locked out of the new rights, as well as introducing fines for employers who deny unions the right to talk with workers.Rayner and Madders will argue that the implementation can be considerably faster because there is no need for widespread consultation and employer familiarisation for a new process – given the new offer is only a shortening of the current arrangements.One Labour MP backing the proposals said: “Even with last week’s changes, reducing the qualifying period for protection from unfair dismissal from 24 months to six would benefit millions of working people with greater security at work.Why should they have to wait until 2027 for better protections? There’s nothing now stopping the government from delivering at pace.
”MPs behind the bill hope the proposals may ultimately be accepted by the government once the amendment is tabled under a few names, but one source said they were “confident of a groundswell of support” from MPs if needed,
Production of French-German fighter jet threatened by rivalries, chief executive says
The leaders of France and Germany have a “strong willingness” to build a new fighter jet together despite bitter internal rivalries, according to the chief executive of engine manufacturer Safran.A row over who should lead between French aerospace company Dassault and the German unit of Airbus has threatened to break apart the countries’ efforts to make a next-generation fighter jet.France’s Safran, one of the world’s biggest engine-makers, is due to co-produce turbines for the aircraft. Its chief executive, Olivier Andriès, told reporters in London on Tuesday that relations were “very strained” between the lead partners on the Future Combat Air System (known as Scaf in France)However, he added that the offices of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, wanted a solution. “Obviously the relationship between Airbus and Dassault is extremely difficult,” Andriès said
Tunbridge Wells water cut likely to last after treatment problem reoccurs
Water shortages in Tunbridge Wells that have forced schools and businesses to close look likely to continue for at least another day after the local water company said the problem with its plant had reoccurred.The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has said it will investigate.Thousands of homes in the Kent town have been without water since the weekend after South East Water accidentally added the wrong chemicals to the tap water supply.Schools across the area have been shut, and residents have been filling buckets with rainwater to flush toilets. Cats, dogs and guinea pigs have been given bottled mineral water to drink as the people of Tunbridge Wells wait for their water to be switched back on
Sam Altman issues ‘code red’ at OpenAI as ChatGPT contends with rivals
Sam Altman has declared a “code red” at OpenAI to improve ChatGPT as the chatbot faces intense competition from rivals.According to a report by tech news site the Information, the chief executive of the San Francisco-based startup told staff in an internal memo: “We are at a critical time for ChatGPT.”OpenAI has been rattled by the success of Google’s latest AI model, Gemini 3, and is devoting more internal resources to improving ChatGPT.Last month, Altman told employees that the launch of Gemini 3, which has outperformed rivals on various benchmarks, could create “temporary economic headwinds” for the company. He added: “I expect the vibes out there to be rough for a bit
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Hello, and welcome to TechScape. I’m your host, Blake Montgomery. Today, I’m mulling over whether to upgrade my iPhone 11 Pro. In tech news, there’s a narrative battle afoot in Silicon Valley, tips on avoiding the yearly smartphone upgrade cycle and new devices altogether, and artificial intelligence’s use in government, for better and for worse.The encroachment of technology can feel inevitable
Serena Williams quietly re-enters drug-testing pool in step toward possible 2026 return
Serena Williams has taken the procedural move required of any player contemplating a competitive comeback, after the 23-time grand slam singles champion re-entered the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) registered testing pool for the first time since 2022.Williams, 44, has not played an official match since her run to the third round of the US Open more than three years ago. Although she described her departure at the time as “evolving away” from the sport rather than a hard retirement, she filed the paperwork with the ITIA that September that exempted her from the sport’s stringent whereabouts requirements. To return to competition, however, players must make themselves available for out-of-competition testing for six months before they are allowed to enter an event.Williams’s name appeared on the agency’s updated testing-pool list dated 6 October
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A potential path to victory at the 2027 men’s Rugby World Cup will become clearer in Sydney on Wednesday when the draw for the tournament is madeKicking off on 1 October 2027, the men’s event will feature 24 teams instead of 20, and will be the first to include a round of 16. Each tournament since 2003 has included 20 competing nations, and the previous format moved straight from the pool stage to the quarter-finals. There will be a total of 52 matches in 2027, up from 48.Instead of four pools of five there are six pools of four. The eventual winners will still be obliged to play seven matches to claim the trophy, but will play one pool match fewer, before the last-16 game for a place in the last eight
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