Greg Clark gives statement on the Taylor Review

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Greg Clark, gave a statement on how the government will implement the recommendations from the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices.

In July 2017 Matthew Taylor published the independent Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices, which looked at issues such as new forms of work, digital platforms and new working models. A number of recommendations were made by the review. The Government published a response in February 2018 and launched several consultations. The Good Work Plan includes feedback from these consultations.

The Business Secretary stated:

"The good work plan I am publishing today sets out a programme for ensuring the UK labour market continues to thrive in the future. The UK labour market has a very positive record in recent years. Since 2010 we have higher employment and lower unemployment in every region and every nation of the United Kingdom, and wages are now growing at their fastest pace in almost a decade. This success has been underpinned by an employment law and policy framework that combines flexibility with protections for workers."

He went on to say that "Good work and developing better jobs is at the centre of the vision of the industrial strategy, so I am proud to be the first Secretary of State to take responsibility for promoting the quality of work as well as the creation of new jobs."

The Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Rebecca Long Bailey responded to the Government's statement on behalf of the Opposition. She responded by thanking the Business Secretary for advance sight of the statement and replied that:

" ...behind his declaration on high employment lies a dark truth. Nearly 4 million people are in insecure work, with 1.1 million working in the gig economy. At a time of low wages, stagnating productivity and endemic financial insecurity across the UK, I had hoped for something big today. I was hoping for proposals that would not only make our workforce feel secure but ensure that their human capital was genuinely valued as the linchpin of Britain's industrial strategy. Proposals for a labour inspectorate, the abolition of the Swedish derogation and ensuring that workers keep their tips were among Labour's policies to transform our labour market, so I am pleased that, after a hard-fought campaign by Labour Members and our trade unions, these points have finally made an appearance in the Government's good work plan. However, as the TUC stated today, despite these small victories, the remaining “reforms as a whole won't shift the balance of power in the gig economy.”."

• Watch Parliament TV: Statement on the Taylor Review
• Read Commons Hansard: Statement on the Taylor Review
• The Good Work Plan (external site) 

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