Overview

• Ministers confirmed Matthew Taylor as the inaugural chair, positioning him to steer the agency’s setup ahead of its April 2026 launch.
• Taylor will begin transitioning into the role from November while remaining NHS Confederation chief executive until the agency goes live.
• The agency consolidates three existing enforcement bodies to create a single national point for tackling exploitation and supporting compliant employers.
• Planned powers include workplace inspections, civil penalties for underpayment, and bringing cases on workers’ behalf, with reported scope for public naming of offenders.
• The body is a core element of the Employment Rights Bill under the Make Work Pay agenda, targeting widespread breaches such as withheld holiday pay affecting about 900,000 workers a year and underpayment among nearly one fifth of minimum-wage earners.