Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is facing internal party pressure as a group of Labour MPs push for a four-day working week with no reduction in pay. The proposal, backed by a dozen

Labour MPs and one Green MP, seeks to establish a panel to explore transitioning Britain’s workforce from a five-day week to four days without financial loss to employees.

The proposal has been introduced as an amendment to the Employment Rights Bill, which is currently progressing through Parliament under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner. The bill already includes a series of worker protections, such as banning zero-hour contracts, ending ‘fire and rehire’ practices, and expanding sick pay and flexible working rights.

However, the proposed shift to a four-day workweek has drawn criticism, particularly from Conservative MPs, who warn that such a policy could damage economic growth and burden businesses with additional costs. Some have compared the initiative to employment laws in France, arguing that increased regulations could threaten jobs and business stability.

Despite growing support for shorter workweeks among employee welfare advocates, Downing Street has dismissed the proposal. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated, “Our plans on the Employment Rights Bill are set out in public, and there is no deviation from that. It is not government policy to support a general move to a four-day working week for five days' pay.”

Advocates of the change argue that reduced working hours could enhance productivity, boost employee wellbeing, and reduce burnout. Labour MP Peter Dowd, who proposed the amendment, emphasized that technological advancements, including artificial intelligence, have improved efficiency, and those benefits should be passed on to workers. “A four-day, 32-hour working week is the future of work, and I urge my party to back this amendment so we can begin a much wider transition,” Dowd stated.

Maya Ellis, Labour MP for Ribble Valley, echoed this sentiment, pointing to data suggesting that a shorter workweek increases productivity. “That means, in public organisations, for example, we can get through a higher volume of tasks, creating the increase in capacity we so desperately need to see in our public services,” she argued.

However, the amendment comes at a time when major employers are calling for employees to return to full-time office work. Companies such as JP Morgan and Amazon have recently mandated in-office attendance, rolling back previous hybrid working arrangements introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Former Asda and Marks & Spencer CEO Lord Stuart Rose has also expressed skepticism about remote and flexible working, arguing that it does not constitute "proper work."

The 4 Day Week Foundation, which campaigns for reduced working hours, welcomed the proposal, but warned that it must involve a genuine reduction in working hours rather than compressing five days' worth of work into four. Joe Ryle, the foundation’s campaign director, stated, “What is missing from the bill is a commitment to explore a genuinely shorter working week, which we know workers desperately want. A four-day week with no loss of pay can be a win-win for both workers and employers.”

Nevertheless, critics argue that reducing working hours without a decrease in pay could place undue financial strain on businesses and taxpayers. Elliot Keck of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said, “Taxpayers are sick of paying through the nose for an increasingly part-time public sector. Rather than standing on the side of workers, many in Labour are on the side of shirkers who are fleecing the public.”

With Downing Street rejecting the proposal, it remains to be seen whether Labour will continue to push for a four-day workweek as part of its broader employment rights agenda. Photo by Phil Whitehouse, Wikimedia commons.