Labour, under the laughable guise of “employment rights”, has just driven another wrecking ball through the heart of British business, and most people, including business owners, don’t even realise it yet. They’ve essentially outlawed banter, yes, banter. That centuries-old cornerstone of the British workplace culture, now treated like hate speech by a bunch of overpaid lawyers and out-of-touch politicians, who wouldn’t last ten minutes in the real world.
Last month, I was in a very posh room in the Parliamentary estate, briefing Lords and MPs about the disgrace of a proposal; they were honestly stunned and horrified. Some couldn’t believe the wording, as it leaves business owners and employers almost unable to defend themselves against an employer with a grudge.
But that’s the trick, isn’t it? Labour coats it in flowery legal speak, calls it “protecting workers”, and everyone claps like dumb seals.
What it does in reality is criminalise normal social interaction and piles even more risk and bureaucracy onto employers, meaning expensive training, legal advice, and other costs at a time when these businesses are already struggling badly.
Let’s be clear, this isn’t about tackling genuine discrimination, that’s already covered in law. This is about outlawing jokes, sarcasm, camaraderie - you know, the very things that make hard work tolerable for millions across pubs, building sites, barbershops, and offices.
Under these rules, a light-hearted comment from a customer could land an employer in a tribunal court.
Your employee doesn’t even have to be of a protected characteristic, but can take offence on behalf of a protected group.
This is utter madness.
It’ll be “see you at the tribunal” because someone’s feelings got bruised. Wave goodbye to common sense, say hello to a legal minefield.
And who’s going to suffer the most?
The local pub, a small business that is at the centre of most communities. A small business at the heart of British culture and heritage.
Labour has just declared war on pub owners like me. We must raise hell to stop this madness - Adam Brooks
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Pubs have been hammered time and again, first by the draconian Covid lockdowns, then by sky-high energy bills, endless minimum wage hikes, and higher national insurance contributions, now we’re adding this utter madness to the mix?
It’s as if Labour has declared war on every community pub in Britain.
I know publicans who are now terrified to crack a joke behind the bar.
“What if someone takes it the wrong way?” they ask.
“What if a group of lads start speaking about something controversial?”
The answer is that it could cost you your business. Legal advice doesn’t come cheap, and one trip to the tribunal could finish you off. This isn’t just culture war stuff, it’s economic sabotage, dressed up in the language of progress and workers' rights.
The worst part is that these laws aren’t being demanded by normal people; they’re being pushed by HR consultants, activist lawyers, and the kind of MPs who’ve never had to manage a payroll or close up a business at 2am. They think that they’re protecting the vulnerable, but instead, what they’re actually doing, is creating a climate of fear and resentment, turning the workplace into a minefield, where human interaction is a liability.
We need to push back, hard.
Employers, publicans, and real-world workers must raise hell about this, because if we let them get away with banning banter, what’s next?
Jokes at Christmas?
Friendly nicknames?
Casual conversations?
Britain wasn’t built on silence, it was built on grit, humour, and a bit of cheek. We’ve already lost too much; we can’t afford to lose this too.
