‘I’m still determined to help those just managing’ – May
THERESA May has insisted that her determination to change Britain in the interests of those who are “just about managing” remains “undimmed” despite the loss of her parliamentary majority.
In her first major speech since the general election, Mrs May said she would act to protect the rights of workers, following the publication of Matthew Taylor’s report on the socalled “gig economy”.
And she appealed to other political parties to put forward their proposals for debate and discussion ahead of the Government’s full response to the report later in the year.
Mrs May acknowledged that the election result, which left her at the head of a minority Government dependent on the support of the Democratic Unionist Party, was “not what I wanted”.
However, she insisted she would press forward with the reform agenda she set out when she first arrived in 10 Downing Street a year ago, saying: “My commitment to changing Britain is undimmed.”
The Prime Minister added: “This country needs a Government that is prepared to take the bold action necessary to secure a better future for Britain and we are determined to be that Government.
“In everything we do, we will act with an unshakable sense of purpose to build the better, fairer Britain which we all want to see.”
Mrs May said the Government’s response to the Taylor Report would be guided by the aim of ensuring that “the interests of employees on traditional contracts, the selfemployed and those people working in the ‘gig’ economy are all properly protected”.
But she insisted that Britain must avoid “overbearing regulation”, retain flexibility in the labour market and remain “a home to innovation, new ideas and new business models”.
Mrs May said it was important to ensure that zero-hours contracts do not allow employers to “exploit” workers, but rejected Labour’s call for them to be banned, warning that this would “harm more people than it would help”.
The Taylor Report recommended the creation of a new category of worker in employment law called a “dependent contractor” to cover those who are not full-time employees but do not enjoy the autonomy traditionally seen as part of selfemployment.
Mr Taylor – a former adviser to Tony Blair who is now chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) – set out seven “principles for fair and decent work”, including: A goal of “good work for all”; Additional protections for workers suffering unfair, one-sided flexibility;
Stronger incentives for firms to treat workers fairly;
A more proactive approach to workplace health.
Responding to the Taylor Report, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “It doesn’t go far enough, that’s the real problem with it.”
Mr Corbyn said: “Obviously, we’ve got to get rid of zero-hours contracts, obviously we’ve got to get rid of the gig economy and bogus self-employment, which actually is a wonderful way for a minority of employers to evade paying employers’ national insurance contributions.
“We want self-employed workers to have rights and self-employed workers to be able to live decently.
“That means access to benefits if and when they need them, but it also means that bogus self-employment has to be dealt with.
“Yes, it does suit some people, because of their family arrangements or whatever, to work part-time.
“But we do think that zero-hours contracts are not the way to do it.”