As Secretary of State for BEIS, one of the three key priorities that I set for the department was, quite simply, to make the UK the best place in the world to work and to grow a business.  These twin objectives were at the core of everything we did, and there was great progress during my six months in post.  Specifically on making the UK the best place in the world to work, the direction was very clear: 

I was proud to announce Jack’s Law - introducing a new right to paid parental bereavement leave for working parents whose child dies under the age of 18. 

I was also delighted that our announcement on the National Living Wage at the start of this year will give the lowest-paid workers a 6.2% pay rise from April 2020 - the biggest cash increase ever. 

I worked closely with Minister Kelly Tolhurst on finalising our Employment Rights Bill, which was promised in the Queen’s Speech.  The Bill will include a wide range of measures, and it will: 

• enshrine the UK’s status as ‘best place in the world to work’ by encouraging flexible working as standard, 

• introduce a new entitlement to leave for unpaid carers, 

• ensure the right to transparency of employment terms and for regular working hours 

These are all practical measures that will make a real difference for employees across the UK and I look forward to draft legislation coming forward during March.