BBC Breakfast turned tense as a Labour minister was left red-faced in a heated debate about the impact of Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget. The politician sparked fury across the UK following her second budget statement on Wednesday (November 26). The lengthy speech was filled with significant fiscal changes, altered spending commitments, and revised economic forecasts.
Since the news was announced, Labour ministers have been under pressure from various news outlets. And Friday’s instalment (November 28) of the BBC news programme was no exception.
The 50-year-old broadcaster returned to the helm of the morning breakfast show, where she grilled Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson. She asked the politician if the government had U-turned after dropping plans to offer all workers the right to claim unfair dismissal from their first day in a job.
Naga began: “It’s another U-turn, how many is this now?” to which the minister bluntly replied: “No, I don’t accept that characterisation, I’m afraid. The Employment Rights Bill represents the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation.
“What we said in our manifesto was that we felt day one rights on a number of areas were important, but that we’d also consult with business, with trade unions and civil society on that.
“Those discussions have taken place, and it means in one area around unfair dismissal, rather than it being a two-year wait, it will be a six-month wait. That means the bill can go forward because the risk was that if this discussion and agreement hadn’t been reached, then the bill would have been held up further.
“It means because of the pragmatic approach that’s been taken from April next year, millions of your viewers will have better rights at work.” Naga countered with: “You pledged, or Labour pledged, for better workers’ rights from day one to parental leave, sick pay, and protection from unfair dismissal. You now say you’re taking a pragmatic approach.
“It sounds as if you’ve pulled stuff out of a hat, thought, ‘This sounds good, we’ll put this in the manifesto, but then we’ll find out what’s happening in the real world and then make decisions’.”
The politician was quick to shut down the veteran presenter on the show, simply stating: “No, I’m afraid that isn’t right.” She clarified: “So, in the manifesto, we did commit to reporting day one rights in a number of areas.”
This includes day one rights for parental leave and sick pay, and when it comes to unfair dismissal, the wait will be six months rather than the current two years.
She fumed: “What it also said in the manifesto, if you read the whole excerpt from it instead of selectively quoting from it, is that we said that we’d consult with businesses, trade unions, and others in order to deliver that.”
It didn’t take long before viewers flocked to X – formerly known as Twitter – to share their thoughts on the heated debate online. One user argued: “Manifesto or not, there appear to be no advancements in your commitments. We are increasingly disheartened by the notion that society seems to deteriorate day by day, year after year. We are not fooled by you, Bridget Phillipson, and the rest of your party.”
Another agreed: “Bridget Phillipson I don’t accept your excuse, and it is an excuse! Another broken manifesto pledge, this Labour party is good for one thing… telling lies.” A third echoed: “Another nail in the coffin for the UK economy & business owners under this pro-skiver – anti-striver left-wing Labour government…”
Meanwhile, other viewers agreed with Bridget’s argument, with one user penned: “Absolutely superb interview from Bridget Phillipson, put Naga right in her place.”
