A peer has made a bid to block a so-called “banter ban” in Labour’s workers’ rights overhaul. Lord Young, the founder of the Free Speech Union, has tabled a series of amendments to the draft legislation – championed by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner – ahead of its return to Parliament later this month.
Under the bill, employers must protect workers from being harassed by “third parties” such as customers or clients. But critics fear the proposals will have major consequences for free speech and mean pub landlords must police what pubgoers say in case staff overhear and are offended.
The Tory peer is pushing for changes so that opinions on political, moral, religious or social matters are exempt as long as they are not “indecent or grossly offensive”.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage previously insisted the clause was effectively a ban on pub banter.
He told GB News: “I have a little theory that every pub is a parliament. I’ve so often been in a pub debate where I’ve had an opinion and someone says: ‘Hang on a second, have you looked at it like this?’
“And you actually can be turned around in a pub over a drink by the power of debate. And I think it’s pretty fair in pubs for virtually everything, within reason, to be up for debate.
“However, the new employment rights legislation, which is designed to protect employees, says that debates should not happen in pubs if they’re offensive to staff.
“And this could well include debates such as transgender rights and veganism. And if they’re being expressed in a contentious way, people in the pub could be asked to leave. You might as well close the pubs down.”
The Employment Rights Bill is due to be debated in the House of Lords after the Easter recess.
A government spokesperson said: “The Employment Rights Bill will not affect anyone’s right to lawful free speech, which this government stands firmly behind.
“Upsetting remarks do not fall within the definition of harassment. We are strengthening workplace protections to tackle harassment and protect employees from intimidating and hostile abuse as well as sexual harassment.”