Retail and Hospitality Sector

Lord Hannett of Everton Excerpts

Thursday 22nd January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hannett of Everton (Lab)]

My Lords, it is an absolute privilege to congratulate my noble friend Lady Dacres of Lewisham on an excellent maiden speech. I am sure all noble Lords will agree with me that she is going to be a real asset to this House. My noble friend was born in south London, her parents coming from the Windrush generation. She represents the best of our country. My noble friend brings to this House a wealth of experience in local government, serving first as a local councillor and then as a cabinet member, as Deputy Mayor of Lewisham and finally as the elected Mayor of Lewisham—a proud record. She is hugely respected and liked both in London and across the wider local government sector, as demonstrated by how, the day after taking her seat in the House of Lords, she was at Windsor Castle with her parents and son receiving an OBE from Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal. I know that my noble friend is already making friends across the House and that all noble Lords are looking forward to hearing more thoughtful contributions like the one she just made. We welcome her.

This is an important debate on an important sector—in fact, as a former general secretary of the trade union USDAW I am particularly well versed in the retail sector. I often try to avoid tribal politics in these discussions, because the issue is the most important thing. I have to say to the noble Baroness that she nearly pulled me into a debate of comparing records, but of course time does not allow me to forensically examine previous legislation from the other side, maybe during the 14 years that they were in office.

I look at the time we have been in office and I see a determination—a Government with values, of trying to do the right thing, not just for employees but for employers and growth, and with a vision for good. Therefore, when people criticise the legislation of a Government who have been in office for a relatively short time, I say, “There should be some humility about the trends started on your watch”. I say that not to be adversarial but to say that when you criticise a Government who have been in office for a short time, you have to be honest and self-reflective with regard to your own performance.

More positively, I said that I know the retail sector, and I know that any legislation that comes in takes time to bed in and that the full impact of legislation is seen over time. I want to draw attention to two issues that make a difference and which apply to these two sectors.

The Employment Rights Act, which was rightly scrutinised in this House, has gone through, and history will judge its impact over a period of time. The other one that I draw attention to, although there are many over the lifespan of many Labour Governments, is the introduction of the national minimum wage in 1998. I was a member of the Low Pay Commission for 11 years and took evidence from employers, employees, economists and a whole range of interested groups. I remember at its introduction how the critics—by the way, some of them in the trade union movement—and many employers declared that this was the end of the world, that to lift people out of a low wage with a minimum floor was risky. That was 1998; it is now 2026, and no Government would even think about replacing that. So my cautious note to the critics on any period of legislation is: give it time but also have a period of self-reflection.

The reason why coming into the House is important to me is that I want to be a part of a Government who have values at the core and who want to do the right thing by those at the bottom and not just those who can look after themselves at the top. I have seen this in evidence. Will we get things wrong? Of course we will, but who does not? For me it is about how the passion and the values of this party will sustain it going forward.

I just want to make reference to the Low Pay Commission again for this reason. I represented USDAW members in many of the large supermarkets, and we had good relationships with most of the big companies. But not all employers are equal. The invention of good legislation is a crucial part of our responsibility. If we are about anything, it has to be about supporting those who are the most disadvantaged, the most vulnerable and the most insecure. I have to say that in these two sectors, many people fall into that category. It succeeded because we were prepared to take a few risks and to compromise.

I do not want to just throw it back to the other side, but if it going to lead with its chin, let it be accepted that pubs were in decline under the watch of the previous Government. It is not something that this party was responsible for when we started.