The government rolled out the red carpet (literally!) for business leaders on Monday, in the plush London Guildhall, topped off by an evening reception at St Paul's cathedral - hosted by none other than the King, Himself. In attendance were VIPs from tech giants, pharma companies, banks, insurers, etc....

    Even the boss of Dubai-based DP World, owner of P&O Ferries was there, despite Transport Secretary Haigh having called P&O a "rogue operator". In 2022, P&O fired 800 workers via Zoom, replacing them with temps employed through a foreign company, on £1.80 per hour! In fact as long as operators dock in British ports fewer than 120 times in a year, they can still exploit crews as much as they like. Thankfully, Starmer just gave Haigh a slap on the wrist, made peace with the Sultan from Dubai, and secured his £1bn investment!

    It goes without saying that - despite their groans and moans - none of the bosses is threatened by Starmer’s Employment "Rights" Bill! True, ministers claim it closes loopholes which "unscrupulous" businesses use to exploit workers. But it conveniently leaves others wide open! So companies will still be able to "fire and rehire" if they face "immediate risk of bankruptcy". And since their books are sealed, who's to say otherwise?

    Higher wages? Security at work? Only "exploitative" zero-hours contracts are to be banned - and that definition is up for grabs! The "new rights from day one", like claims against unfair dismissal, paternity leave, or the pittance of sick pay, may cause Talk Radio presenters to froth at the gills, but workers know how carefully these token concessions were chosen: they mean zilch. A "work placement" can still be ended at a moment's notice; sacking is perfectly legal during probation periods, extendable to 9 months. As for taking bosses to Tribunals - the waiting list is 2 years; and anyway, few workers ever win a case.