A new Labour government will be entering Parliament, and we at the PCA are keeping a close eye on Labour's plans for the outsourced payroll sector.

Our CEO, Paul Newsham, offers his insights on the results:

"It is no surprise that we now have a Labour government in place, and my hope is that change will be a positive thing. The party has made a lot of employment promises, such as banning zero-hour contracts, with a package of legislation to be introduced in Parliament 'within a hundred days' of being elected, so we expect to see a lot of action by October.

"The new government's plans around employment status could be a positive move, protecting more individuals classified as 'workers'.

"Tax avoidance is also on the agenda, including investment in HMRC, but what I am most interested to hear about is Labour's stance on regulation of the umbrella company market. 

"Regulation was mooted by the previous government earlier this year through a due diligence regime and would protect thousands of workers and hiring firms that are at risk due to tax avoidance schemes run by fraudulent umbrella companies. 

"If I had one question for Keir Starmer, I would ask what his plans are in relation to umbrella company regulation now that he has the power to protect the contracting workforce. At the PCA, we believe a due diligence regime would be the best way forward for workers, employers and recruitment companies."