Employers will soon be banned from using non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to silence victims of workplace sexual misconduct, harassment, or discrimination**, the UK government has announced.
An amendment to the Employment Rights Bill—expected to become law later this year—will render any confidentiality clauses that attempt to prevent workers from speaking out about abuse legally unenforceable.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said:
“It’s time we stamped this practice out.”
NDAs, which are legally binding agreements meant to protect confidential information, have increasingly been misused to conceal misconduct. The abuse of NDAs gained public attention after Zelda Perkins, former assistant to disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, broke her agreement in 2017 to expose allegations of sexual abuse.
More recently, the late Mohamed Al Fayed, former owner of Harrods, was accused of using confidentiality clauses to silence women who alleged rape and abuse.
Perkins, who now leads the campaign group Can’t Buy My Silence UK, called the amendment a “huge milestone” and credited survivors for their courage:
“This victory belongs to the people who broke their NDAs, who risked everything to speak the truth when they were told they couldn’t.”
The legislative change brings the UK in line with countries like Ireland, the United States, and some Canadian provinces, where such gag orders have already been restricted in harassment and discrimination cases.
However, Perkins emphasized the need for strong safeguards:
“It’s vital to ensure the regulations are watertight so no one can be forced into silence again.”
Employment Rights Minister Justin Madders condemned the misuse of NDAs:
“This appalling practice must end. These amendments will give millions of workers the confidence that inappropriate behaviour won’t be swept under the rug but tackled head-on.”
The House of Lords will debate the amendment when the bill returns on 14 July, before it moves to the House of Commons for final approval.
