Unions are urging Sir Keir Starmer to cut workers’ hours and make strikes easier.

British employment laws are “significantly weaker” than those in other major economies, research for the Trades Union Congress (TUC) by the University of Cambridge found.

The union organisation said a study by employment experts showed that labour laws were half as protective as those in France and “significantly” weaker than other countries including Spain, Italy and Germany.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “This report lays bare just how weak worker protections are in this country compared to many other leading economies.

“Working people urgently need our laws brought closer to the international mainstream.

“That’s why it is vital the Government’s forthcoming Employment Rights Bill is delivered within the first 100 days of the Government’s term.

“It is a crucial opportunity to make work pay and give people the security and respect they need at work.

“Workers and business should have a shared interest in improving employment standards.

“Research shows that stronger employment protections are associated with higher employment and lower unemployment.”

Boardrooms are currently awaiting the Government’s incoming Employment Bill, which is expected to award workers full rights from day one.

The TUC said the package of measures designed to boost workers’ rights, which also includes banning “fire and rehire” practices and increasing the minimum wage, will “create a level playing field to stop good employers from being undercut by the bad”.

But the plans have spooked bosses amid fears of an increase in unfair dismissal complaints and a system that mirrors the strict labour laws in France and Germany.