Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) used to silence employees from disclosing workplace misconduct and discrimination are set to be banned, the government has said.
Whilst NDAs were intended to protect sensitive and confidential commercial information, they have recently been manipulated to prevent victims from speaking out about wrongdoing in the workplace.
Expected to become law later this year, an amendment to the Employment Rights Bill will ban any confidentiality agreements seeking to prevent employees from disclosing allegations of criminality.
The amendment would also enable victims to speak freely about their experiences and will also allow other witnesses to call out misconduct without facing charges for breaching an NDA.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said in a post on X: “The use of NDAs to cover up abuse and harassment is growing – across industries and workplaces, amongst those in insecure work.
“It can’t go on. This Labour government is taking action to ban NDAs used for this purpose. No one should suffer in silence.”
The amendment is part of the government’s overhaul of workers’ rights and is set to return to the House of Lords on July 14, 2025. It will then be discussed by MPs in the Commons.
Other legislation announced in October to be introduced as part of Labour’s overhaul includes the end to “unscrupulous fire and rehire practices”, changes to bereavement and parental leave from day one, the end to zero-hour contracts and the tackling of poor working conditions.
The change is not expected to impact NDAs for legitimate commercial use such as commercially sensitive information.
Ever since a former assistant to convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein, Zelda Perkins, broke her NDA to accuse him of abuse, questions have been raised about the manipulation of NDAs to conceal allegations of harassment, discrimination and criminality.
Louise Haigh, a former cabinet minister, and Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran led the parliamentary campaign on NDAs.
Haigh said victims of such misconduct had been suffering “for too long”, with the new ban set to ensure “bad employers can no longer hide behind legal practices that cover up their wrongdoing.”
After years of campaigning, the law is finally changing. This only happened because brave victims shared their stories.
— Layla Moran 🔶🕊️ (@LaylaMoran) July 7, 2025
It's been a privilege to work alongside Zelda, Louise & others on this. Today proves that speaking out can lead to real change.https://t.co/QHT4dgdPNZ
Speaking on the government’s plans, Perkins said: “This is a huge milestone, for years we’ve heard empty promises from governments whilst victims have continued to be silenced.
“To see this government accept the need for nationwide legal change shows that they have listened and understood the abuse of power taking place
“Above all though, this victory belongs to the people who broke their NDAs, who risked everything to speak the truth when they were told they couldn’t. Without their courage, none of this would be happening.
“This is not over yet and we will continue to focus closely on this to ensure the regulations are watertight and no one can be forced into silence again. If what is promised at this stage becomes reality, then the UK will be leading the world in protecting not only workers but the integrity of the law.”
Legislative changes have already taken place in Ireland, Canada and the US. In Ireland, the government has introduced a general ban on NDAs where there are allegations of discrimination, harassment, or sexual harassment during the course of employment.
A report published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in February this year found that the use of NDAs was relatively common. Of 2,000 respondents surveyed, 22% said their organisation had used them to handle sexual harassment allegations.
While 44% said NDAs had not been used in this way at their workplace, 34% did not know.
Employers are also expected to welcome the amendment. The same report found that 48% of employers would support a ban, with a mere 18% opposing it.
