2025 Wrapped: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Our round-up of this year’s biggest wins, the challenges our movement faced, and lessons for 2026
In many ways, 2025 has been a difficult year for the Protections Movement. We’ve seen clear and consistent attacks on the regulatory state from a government we would never have expected to take such a path. At times, it has felt like not much has changed from the deregulatory orthodoxy of the Conservative years.
But it has also been a year marked by impressive wins for our sector. From the government’s landmark Employment Rights Bill, to the Renters’ Rights Act, and the next phase of the Online Safety Act, a swathe of new protections have made it onto the statute book. These interventions have shown the power of the state to step in, enforce rules, and improve people’s lives in practical, tangible ways.
As the new year approaches, it’s worth celebrating these important wins. And as we look ahead to 2026, it’s time to reflect on what we can learn from the last twelve months.
The Big Wins of the Year
✅ WIN: Worker Protections Strengthened
The win:
A sweeping overhaul of workers’ rights that provides greater protection from unfair dismissal, curbs exploitative zero-hours contracts and fire and rehire practices, provides day one sick pay, boosts wages, and expands union access to workplaces.
What this means:
For millions of people, work will become more secure, less unpredictable and better paid.
Congrats go to:
Credit must go to the government for sticking with the majority of these reforms despite huge pushback from the CBI and the mainstream press. The TUC and the rest of the union movement also deserve significant praise for keeping the government on track and getting this fractious bill over the line. Backbenchers like Andy Mcdonald also did a great job at championing these reforms.
✅ WIN: Renters’ Rights Act abolishes Section 21 Evictions
The win:
The biggest shake-up of the private rental market in decades, including the end of no-fault evictions and a new Ombudsman which will provide an official channel to help resolve disputes.
What this means:
Renters up and down the country will gain stability, won’t have to live in fear of arbitrary evictions, and will enjoy a slightly less chaotic rental market.
Congrats go to:
The Renter’s Reform Coalition and many more housing organisations who have spent years fighting for the reforms and pushing this issue up the agenda. Although the government could have championed this more, they deserve credit for getting the legislation onto the statute book.
✅ WIN: Online Safety Rules Strengthened
The win:
New laws came into effect to protect under-18s from harmful content like pornography, self-harm, and suicide promotion, by requiring large tech platforms to implement age verification checks and assess content.
What this means:
For millions of children, the internet has become a safer place. Big tech firms now face meaningful legal duties when harmful content spreads and Ofcom will be empowered to take on those flouting the new laws.
***However, this is clearly a work in progress, and campaigners have raised legitimate fears that this could stifle freedom of expression if applied too bluntly.***
Congrats go to:
Years of pressure from bereaved families, including Molly Russell’s father, as well as child protection groups such as NSPCC, Bernado’s and Internet Matters.
✅ WIN: Water Regulation Grows Teeth
The win:
Ofwat has finally been abolished and a new single regulator is set to be established with a greater remit for enforcement.
What this means:
In theory, this regulator will take on rampant pollution and profiteering within the water industry, meaning cleaner rivers and bathing-friendly coastlines.
Congrats go to:
Environmental campaigners like Surfers Against Sewage, The Rivers Trust, and Windrush Against Sewage Pollution, who have been raising the alarm for years. Credit also to Steve Reed who kicked off these reforms and took the fight to the water industry.
✅ WIN: FCA to become anti-money laundering ‘super-regulator’
The win:
In Autumn, the government announced a radical overhaul of the Financial Conduct Authority, expanding its remit to tackling money laundering and turning it into a ‘super-regulator’ of the professional services sector.
What this means:
The expanded remit of the FCA could deliver a “step change in accountability”, closing long-exploited loopholes and increasing public trust in lawyers, accountants and service providers who have traditionally sat outside financial crime supervision.
Congrats go to:
Transparency International UK and Spotlight on Corruption who have spent years documenting how UK professional services were enabling money laundering, and campaigned for change. Credit also goes to the cross-party Treasury Select Committee, which unanimously agreed on the need for stronger enforcement after high-profile dirty money cases.
The biggest challenges of 2025
⚠️ CHALLENGE: Planning Rules Bulldozed
The challenge:
Sweeping deregulation of planning rules to speed up housebuilding and infrastructure.
What this means:
It might mean more homes and faster projects. But it could also mean more environmental risks are taken, less rules around housing quality, and a risk that local interests are overlooked.
Who’s responsible:
Lots of ministers have championed this agenda, but special mention goes to the new housing minister, Steve Reed, who now dons a MAGA style cap with ‘Build Baby, Build’ emblazoned on the front.
⚠️ CHALLENGE: Competition Watchdog is Clipped
The challenge:
Earlier this year the government replaced the head of CMA with former-Amazon boss, Doug Gurr, following its previous demand that all regulators submit plans on how to boost growth.
What this means:
The growth-at-all-costs strategy has led to accusations that the government is ‘in the pocket of big business’ and is weakening rules that make markets fair and keep consumers safe.
Who’s responsible:
The government decision, under pressure from corporate lobbyists, to treat the CMA as an attack dog in need of muzzling, rather than a tool for promoting open, transparent markets.
⚠️ CHALLENGE: Financial Rules Loosened
The challenge:
Rachel Reeves set out plans to streamline and roll back parts of 2008 post-crisis financial regulation.
What this means:
Less oversight of the financial sector and increased risk for everyone else.
Who’s responsible:
The Chancellor has repeatedly looked to weaken regulators who she believes clamp down unnecessarily on risk-taking and limit business investment in the UK.
⚠️ CHALLENGE: Regulation of Big Tech in Jeopardy
The challenge:
A £31 billion UK-US Tech Prosperity Deal was signed in September, prompting questions over what compromises were struck on big tech regulation in the process. Reported to be on the table are demands to water down the Online Safety Act, scrap the 2% Digital Services Tax, and clip the wings of the CMA.
What this means:
Hard-won rules on the power and influence of big tech could be weakened, while the Treasury could lose significant revenue from these tech giants.
Who’s responsible:
The corporate giants involved in the deal lent considerable weight to Donald Trump’s hand, giving him even more leverage over Keir Starmer.
The Verdict: Some strong wins, but poor visibility
In many ways, the story of 2025 has been one of fractious debates about immigration and the government’s repeated attempts to kickstart a sluggish economy, often by weakening important regulations.
But there is another story that runs alongside this one, often beneath the surface. One in which genuinely transformative legislation has passed into law.
The problem is that the second story has often been lost in the noise. And so despite the scale of this year’s wins, public awareness of these changes remains strikingly low. As the data below shows, this has created a growing disconnect between what the government is actually doing and what voters believe is happening.
As we approach 2026, there are two lessons our movement should carry forward.
First, we need a more joined-up narrative. The government’s pick-and-choose approach to regulation means some areas have seen stronger enforcement, better funding and expanded remits, while others are being weakened or sidelined. We must articulate the shared values behind protection across the whole system - not just in our own silos - if we want to push the government towards a coherent and lasting approach.
Second, there is a widening communications gap between the work that is being done to improve lives and what voters are seeing and hearing. Policy successes are important, but without public visibility, they are fragile. If protections aren’t clearly communicated and defended, they are easier to weaken.
Our job is to champion positive reforms so that the public not only feels safer, but understands why. Done well, this doesn’t just build public support for strong protections, it pushes back against the libertarian instincts of the populist right.
Finally, thank you to everyone across the movement for the great work you’ve done this year. There is much to be proud of, and even more to build on in 2026.