UK to Ban NDAs That Silence Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Victims
Work News | New Stardom
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The UK government will outlaw the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that silence victims of workplace harassment and discrimination, in a legal move described by campaigners as historic. The new measure is being introduced as an amendment to the Employment Rights Bill, which returns to the House of Lords next week.
Under the change, any confidentiality clause that attempts to prevent a worker from speaking publicly about harassment, including sexual harassment or discriminatory abuse, will be considered void. The reform will also protect witnesses who choose to support victims, allowing them to speak out without fear of legal retaliation.
“This is a huge milestone,” said Zelda Perkins, co-founder of the campaign group Can’t Buy My Silence, which has led the effort to end the misuse of NDAs. “To see this government accept the need for nationwide legal change shows that they have listened and understood the abuse of power taking place.”
The practice of using NDAs to silence victims, originally designed to protect trade secrets or commercial information, has been widely criticised in recent years. In high-profile cases, employers have used such contracts to cover up misconduct, forcing victims into silence and protecting perpetrators from accountability.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner confirmed the government’s position: “We have heard the calls from victims of harassment and discrimination to end the misuse of NDAs. It is time we stamped this practice out.” Employment Rights Minister Justin Madders added that the misuse of NDAs is “an appalling practice” and that the reform will give workers “confidence that inappropriate behaviour in the workplace will be dealt with, not hidden.”
If passed, the NDA ban will form part of the broader Employment Rights Bill, a legislative package designed to modernise UK labour protections. The Bill also includes plans to ban exploitative zero-hours contracts, end fire-and-rehire practices, and expand day-one rights to sick pay and parental leave. The government is calling the bill “the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation.”
For campaigners like Perkins, the legal change is not just legislative, it’s symbolic. “This victory belongs to the people who broke their NDAs, who risked everything to speak the truth when they were told they couldn’t,” she said.
Sources:
UK Government Press Release, “Ban on controversial NDAs silencing abuse,” 3 July 2025
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