Ministerial role

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Employment Rights and Consumer Protection)

Organisations: Department for Business and Trade
Current role holder: Kate Dearden MP

Responsibilities

Responsibilities include:

  • employment rights聽聽
  • labour market enforcement聽聽
  • consumer protection聽and competition policy
  • retail and hospitality聽聽
  • consumer goods聽聽
  • product safety聽聽
  • Department Corporate Minister聽聽

Public bodies:

  • Low Pay Commission
  • Competition and Markets Authority
  • Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas)
  • British Hallmarking Council
  • Competition Service
  • Groceries Code Adjudicator
  • Pubs Code Adjudicator
  • Competition Appeal Tribunal
  • Central Arbitration Committee
  • Certification Officer

Current role holder

Kate Dearden MP

Kate Dearden was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Business and Trade on 7 September 2025.

She was previously Assistant Whip, House of Commons between 18 July 2024 and 7 September 2025. She was elected as the MP for Halifax in July 2024. She studied for MA (Hons) International Relations at the University of Edinburgh and also previously worked for Community, a trade union.

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