Daily Express, on UK Politics, 2 November 2026

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Angela Rayner gives even more rights to small boat migrants – they can sue

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Angela Rayner gives even more rights to small boat migrants – they can sue Workers now have the ability to sue their bosses for workplace abuse, regardless of their legal right to work in the UK. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Add us as preferred source Comments By Toby Codd 07:41, Mon, Nov 2, 2026 Updated: 07:42, Mon, Nov 2, 2026 Angela Rayner has enforced new employment rules. (Image: Getty) , allowing them to sue employers for harassment even if they are working in the UK without a valid work permit.

The Housing Secretary introduced her new Employment Rights Act on Friday (October 30) and the human rights watchdog has issued new guidance. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has published fresh direction on the "legal obligations" for bosses to tackle harassment. The new act gives workers enhanced protections against workplace and third-party harassment, with the EHRC guidance including the case of a "migrant worker without a valid work permit".

It adds that bosses are required to take "all reasonable steps", rather than simply "reasonable steps", to prevent sexual and other harassment of employees – including those working ilegally. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT As reported by the Daily Mail , the EHRC guidance states that a "tribunal can now hear the worker's claim" if their boss does not act accordingly.

Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, has described the move has "farcical". He added: "Labour should be stopping the boats and securing our borders. Instead, they are handing out even more rights to illegal immigrants." Get the latest politics news - straight from our team in Westminster and more I would like to receive emails from the Daily Express featuring our latest products, services, offers, and promotions from across the Reach Plc family .

Subscribe Invalid email You agree you are 18 or over. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. You can unsubscribe at any time. More Info . The EHRC says: "A migrant worker without a valid work permit is harassed by her colleague while working for a company. The contract of employment is illegal because the worker does not have a work permit.

Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT "However, the tribunal can hear the worker's claim for harassment. While her employment with the company may have created an opportunity for the colleague to harass the worker, the harassment was not dependent on her employment. She could have been subjected to the harassment even if she had not been in employment with the company." Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Chris Philp has dubbed the move "farcical" (Image: Getty) Morrisons first supermarket to bring in toilet rule in all 500 UK stores in May UK Government urges all households to gather 3 items now | UK | News | Express.co.uk British companies can be liable if employees are harassed by third parties, including customers, freelancers and self-employed contractors.

They face being taken to tribunals and paying compensation if reasonable steps to avoid harassment are not taken. The move comes after Erin Ong, a Malaysian hotel manager who did not have a valid permit to work in the UK, was awarded over £5,000 in compensation for race, sex, and disability discrimination in September 2026. The case highlighted a grey area in British law as despite being an offence to work without a permit, civil human rights protections still apply to the working individual.

The Labour government has now solidified the ruling under workplace reforms in the Employment Rights Act. It has been confirmed that small boat arrivals and other undocumented workers have the full legal right to sue bosses for workplace abuse, regardless of their legal right to work in the UK. A government spokesman said: "The changes introduced on Friday mean employers must take stronger action to make sure everyone can feel safe at work."

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What we found (2)

The Daily Express states as its own fact that Angela Rayner has given more rights to small boat migrants, which is Chris Philp's attack line, quoted later in the article. It also says illegal workers will no longer be prevented from bringing harassment claims, while its own later paragraphs report that civil protections already applied and that a worker without a permit won a tribunal award before the Act.

  1. States one side's claim as fact

    Serious

    “Angela Rayner has given more rights to small boat migrants”

    Why this matters
    The Express writes as its own statement of fact the opposition's charge that Labour is handing out more rights to small boat arrivals.
    The impression it gives
    A reader takes it as established that the change is a new gift of rights to Channel crossers.
    The context
    This is Chris Philp's framing, which the article quotes later. The guidance applies to any harassed worker without a permit, and the article itself says such protections already applied before the Act.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“handing out even more rights to illegal immigrants”
    • Elsewhere in the article“civil human rights protections still apply to the working individual”

    Show it in the article

    Written straight

    Equality watchdog guidance says an illegal employment contract will not normally stop a worker pursuing a harassment claim. Chris Philp said Labour was handing out more rights to illegal immigrants.

  2. Makes a false claim

    Serious

    “An illegal worker will no longer be prevented from pursuing their harassment claim.”

    Why this matters
    The words 'no longer' tell the reader such claims were barred until now and that the new Act changed this.
    The impression it gives
    A reader believes workers without a permit could not bring harassment claims before Rayner's Act.
    The context
    The article itself reports that a worker without a permit won compensation for discrimination in September 2026, before the Act. It also says civil protections already applied to people working without a permit.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“was awarded over £5,000 in compensation for race, sex, and disability discrimination in September 2026”
    • Elsewhere in the article“civil human rights protections still apply to the working individual”

    Show it in the article

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