Mr Dowd argued that the current nine-to-five workweek model is outdated, given the significant transformation of the world of work since its inception. He noted productivity gains without corresponding reductions in working hours and highlighted the positive outcomes from recent four-day week trials in Iceland and Japan. He also mentioned South Cambridgeshire District Council's plans to trial a four-day week with no pay loss for desk-based staff, illustrating that shorter workweeks improve business operations and employee well-being while potentially enhancing recruitment efforts.

Mr. Christopher Chope criticised the Bill presented by the hon. Member for Bootle, arguing that it would prevent people from working more than 32 hours a week, which he believes would undermine productivity and employment levels at a time of high employment and low unemployment. He pointed out that the Bill's provisions would be particularly detrimental to sectors like healthcare where there is already a staffing crisis. Mr. Chope also emphasised the origin of the Working Time Regulations from the European Union’s working time directive, which he argued was wrongly labelled as a health and safety measure when it was primarily an employment protection directive for continental Europe.