Johnson government keeps Trumpian fires burning with review of workers’ rights

Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng took aim at the FT when it reported that rights formerly enshrined in EU law were at risk, only to confirm to MPs that a review is in train, writes James Moore

NHS workers are among those covered by the Working Time Directive the government is thinking about scrapping (PA)

On the day Joe Biden was inaugurated as president of the United States, the British government seemed keen to stake its claim as the keeper of the Trumpian flame.

Take the issue of workers’ rights. Last week the Financial Times reported that they were at risk, with the government considering plans to tear up the EU’s labour market rules.

No, no, no, said business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, who retweeted the Pink ’Un’s headline for the purposes of pouring cold water over it.