Human Times

UK Edition

20th February 2026

THE HOT STORY

PM slams Reform UK's 'shocking' plans to repeal Equality Act

Sir Keir Starmer has condemned Reform UK's commitment to repeal the Equalities Act, calling it "shocking." In an interview with BBC Breakfast, the Prime Minister said the laws were "core" to British values and had given "decades of protection," ensuring women and people of all races were "treated equally." Labour's Equalities Act, passed in 2010, contains legal protections against discrimination on the basis of gender, sexuality, race, religion or disability. Suella Braverman, the former Conservative home secretary who was handed Reform UK's education and skills brief on Tuesday, said the country is being "ripped apart by diversity, equality and inclusion," "tokenism" and "victimhood."

BBC News

Daily Mirror

The Guardian

LEGAL

Surge in tribunal cases linked to autism and ADHD

Employment tribunal cases related to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have nearly doubled since 2020, according to Irwin Mitchell's analysis of government data. Last year, autism cases reached 121, while ADHD cases hit 118. Notable disputes include a claim against JD Wetherspoon for disability discrimination and a case involving the Met Office's office layout. Jenny Arrowsmith, an employment partner at law firm Irwin Mitchell, said: "Many cases arise not because of deliberate discrimination, but because businesses fail to recognise their legal obligations early enough." The NHS estimates 2.5m people with ADHD and 1.2m autistic individuals in England.

The Daily Telegraph

Concerns were raised with Cabinet Office before Antonia Romeo appointment

The Financial Times reports that three individuals contacted Whitehall earlier this month over the past conduct of Antonia Romeo, who was named on Thursday as the country’s top civil servant. Claims about her conduct when she was the UK's consul general in New York a decade ago have led critics to question her suitability for the role of cabinet secretary. The BBC reports on documents about Romeo which described her as behaving in an "unreasonable", "degrading", and "demeaning" way towards staff. She is the first woman to hold the post in its 110-year history.

WORKFORCE

Maternity pay to improve for teachers and school staff

The Financial Times has reported that maternity pay for teachers, school leaders and support staff will be improved for the first time in more than two decades, with the current four-week entitlement to full pay to double to eight weeks from 2027/28, tapering to 50% of full pay for 10 weeks, followed by 21 weeks of statutory maternity pay. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said maternity pay in the sector "has been left to stagnate for too long," adding: "That's why I am taking the first step in 25 years to improve it, backed by a new programme that will support more women returning after leave. More pupils will benefit from the experienced teachers they need at the front of classroom."

Schools Week

Financial Times

Civil service pay limits threaten talent

Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect, warns that restrictive civil service pay is hindering the recruitment of technical and digital specialists. He said that the government must end the "barking mad" pay constraints to attract talent. Clancy highlighted that low pay and limited progression are significant issues, with 58% of missed deadlines at Natural England attributed to resource shortages. “The government has not done enough and has not been as energetic on setting a clear pay and reward agenda for deliverers,” Clancy said. “If it's keen on actively recruiting and retaining them, and them being the driver of the civil service mission, you can't divorce it from pay. This is a deep inhibitor upon the government's plans.”

The Guardian

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

Management apprenticeships to be defunded, minister confirms

Skills minister Jacqui Smith has told FE Week that leadership and management apprenticeships are set to be defunded under plans to find savings and skew the apprenticeship system towards young people. Sector leaders have warned that removing public funding from leadership and management apprenticeships would be a “disorientating shock” for many employers who have “never been told that levy funding is not theirs to use as they see fit.” Former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn, who is leading a review into the rise in young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), said it was “crazy” that a significant number of such apprenticeships go to people over the age of 40. “Ask any member of the public what they think an apprenticeship is,” Milburn said. “It's an entry opportunity for young people, not in-work training for older people . . . So we've got to look at all of these things and we've got to look at where we're spending public money.”

FE Week

TECHNOLOGY

Digital tools could help workers with dementia stay employed longer

Research from University of Bath professor James Fletcher suggests that digital tools can help people with dementia remain in the workforce longer and more productively. He suggests that many older adults are tech-literate and already rely on digital devices as a “second brain,” using tools that reduce cognitive load, support comprehension, assist with word-finding challenges, and simplify multistep tasks. Fletcher argues that workplace adoption of accessible technologies, personalized AI systems, and formal HR support structures - such as regular check-ins and disability action plans - could reduce stigma and encourage disclosure, enabling employees with dementia to extend their careers. With dementia diagnoses expected to rise as the population ages, Fletcher suggests that organizations and workers alike should proactively adopt cognitive-support technologies to prepare for longer working lives.

The Wall Street Journal

INTERNATIONAL

Crypto plays growing role in human trafficking networks, report says

Cryptocurrency flows to suspected human trafficking services, largely based in Southeast Asia, grew 85% in 2025, reaching a scale of hundreds of millions across identified services, according to a new report by US-based blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis. The analysis tracked four primary categories of suspected cryptocurrency-facilitated human trafficking, including Telegram-based “labour placement” services that facilitate kidnapping and forced labour for scam compounds.

Chainalysis

CNBC

Zuckerberg defends Meta in landmark social media addiction trial

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg repeatedly said during a landmark Los Angeles trial over youth social media addiction that the Facebook and Instagram operator does not allow children under 13 on its platforms. Zuckerberg maintained that lawyers were "mischaracterising" communications in multiple internal documents which suggested they were a key demographic. Mark Lanier, a lawyer for the woman suing Instagram and Google's YouTube for harming her mental health when she was a child, pressed Zuckerberg over a statement to Congress in 2024 that users under 13 are not allowed on the platform. Zuckerberg also told the jury that he overruled concerns about teen wellbeing from 18 experts to lift a ban on Instagram beauty filters because he was concerned about “free expression.”

German union takes legal action against Tesla factory manager

German labour union IG Metall has filed a defamation complaint against Tesla's factory manager in the Berlin area, accusing him of spreading false allegations amid deteriorating relations with the automaker. The union is also pursuing a temporary injunction to prevent further claims from the manager, who had previously filed a criminal complaint against an IG Metall member for allegedly recording a works council meeting without consent. Union representative Jan Otto emphasised that while legal disputes are not preferred, they are necessary to defend workers' rights against Tesla's aggressive stance on union activities.

Reuters

General strike to protest labour reforms starts in Argentina

Argentina is facing a general strike by workers protesting a labour reform bill pushed by President Javier Milei - the fourth general strike of his term - and which is set to be debated in parliament. The country's main trade union called the strike, which is set to last 24 hours. The contested reforms would make it easier to hire and fire workers, and it would also reduce severance pay, limit the right to strike, increase work hours and restrict holiday provisions.

France 24

OTHER

Stricter rules target SEND support and costs

The government plans to overhaul England's special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, introducing stricter criteria for education, health and care plans (EHCPs) when pupils transition to secondary school. Under the reforms, only children with the most complex needs will retain EHCPs, while those with conditions such as autism or ADHD will receive school-managed 'individual support plans.' Funding structures will also change, with schools expected to cover the full cost of support and caps imposed on independent special school fees, alongside additional investment in educational psychologists and therapists. Ministers argue the reforms are necessary to curb rising costs, which have nearly doubled to £13bn since 2016, but Labour backbenchers have warned the proposals could trigger a party rebellion.

The Times

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