Rebecca Long-Bailey MP on IR35 reform – radio interview transcript

To provide ContractorUK readers with the fuller context of Labour’s latest comments on private sector IR35 reform, a transcript of Rebecca Long-Bailey’s interview on Radio Five Live is below. The audio is available here -- between 1:10:25 and 1:11:32.

[Begins 1:10:25]

Interviewer Rachel Burden (RB):

Your small business minister has previously said, ‘We absolutely can’t see it rolled out in the private sector the way things are at the moment.’ When he was asked on Twitter ‘is this party policy?’ he said, ‘Absolutely.’

Rebecca Long-Bailey MP: Yes. And we do have serious concerns about IR35 and it’s something that’s come up in various business meetings I’ve had with small businesses and self-employed people particularly. And it is something we are going to look at.

Interviewer RB: So you’re going to look at it but there’s no absolute commitment there on whether you’re going to scrap it for the private sector?

Rebecca Long-Bailey MP: No there is. We need to have a system in place that’s fair for the self-employed and IR35 certainly doesn’t work for them. So we’ll be working with the self-employed themselves and the organisations representing them such as the FSB, for example, to look at a system that’s fair because that system is certainly not fair and it’s causing a lot of anguish to those who are self-employed who are finding it difficult…

Interviewer RB: So just for absolute clarity -- under a Labour government this would not apply in the private sector from April 2020?

Rebecca Long-Bailey MP: Well certainly, we don’t think it will, no.  But we will need to have a system in place that’s fair

Interviewer RB: It’s not absolute clarity…

Rebecca Long-Bailey MP: Well it is as [sic] absolute clarity… But what we’re saying is we need to consult on a system that’s fairer for those businesses but we don’t think IR35 is appropriate. So no.”

[Ends 1:11:32]