Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Public Contracts: Trade Union Recognition

Thursday 4 December 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Public Contracts: Trade Union Recognition was discussed in Ministerial Questions on 2025-12-04
  • Lorraine Beavers questioned the Minister about Bidfood's termination of recognition deals with trade unions, impacting workers' rights
  • Shockat Adam inquired about prioritizing UK firms in public procurement, especially for NHS equipment

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Lorraine Beavers Lab Blackpool North and Fleetwood
Employment Standards & Ethics
Context

Bidfood, with public contracts across the UK, has ended its long-standing trade union recognition deal. The workers are now facing potential fire and rehire practices.

Question

I refer to my entry on the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. Bidfood, which has public contracts with the Army, prisons and schools across the UK, has torn up a long-standing recognition deal with GMB and Unite, leaving workers open to fire and rehire. Does the Minister agree that public contracts should go only to businesses that recognise and work constructively with trade unions?

Answer from Chris Ward (The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office)

I personally think all businesses should recognise and work with trade unions. Our social value model, which we are reforming and will shortly strengthen, allows contracting authorities to consider the economic and social impact and reputation of bidders. Of course, the Employment Rights Bill—the biggest upgrade in workers’ rights in a generation—will end the scandal of fire and rehire.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The minister did not explicitly commit to awarding public contracts exclusively to businesses that recognise trade unions.

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Q2 Shockat Adam Ind Leicester South
NHS Business & Trade
Context

The previous Government made progress on buying British through the Procurement Act 2023.

Question

On determining awards for public contracts, what steps are being taken to prioritise UK firms in public procurement, especially for the provision of vital equipment, like personal protective equipment, in our NHS?

Answer from Chris Ward (The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office)

We are going to bring forward plans, hopefully in the next Session, to reform procurement rules. A big part of that, as the Chancellor has said many times, is to help people to buy British more, and to support local jobs and economies around the country. Despite all their other failings, the previous Government did make some progress on this matter through the Procurement Act 2023, and we will build on that in the next Session.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The minister provided a general commitment without specific actions or timelines for prioritising UK firms in public procurement.

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