Government appoints Matthew Taylor as Fair Work Agency chair

Matthew Taylor has been appointed as the first chair of the Government’s new Fair Work Agency, launching in April 2026. 

The agency will bring together three enforcement bodies to tackle minimum wage underpayment and worker exploitation across the UK.

The fair work agency will use new powers to make sure around 900,000 people who have holiday pay withheld each year will receive it, and will target employers who fail to pay the minimum wage. 

The goal is to improve living standards and support fair businesses by making sure employment rights are enforced.

Taylor said: “For years inside and outside Government I argued that employers and workers need a single enforcement body for employment rights.  

“It is an honour to be asked to be the first Chair of the Fair Work Agency, the body that will meet that need.  

“The Agency has a vital job in strengthening labour market compliance and enforcement.”

Taylor added: “This is essential to provide workers with protection and employers with a supportive and level playing field on which to invest and grow.

Business Secretary Peter Kyle, said: “The current enforcement system doesn’t deliver for businesses or working people. 

“Our Fair Work Agency will be a game-changer in ensuring rights are properly enforced, whilst backing those businesses that already do the right thing. 

“Matthew brings exceptional leadership experience to this pivotal role and I look forward to working with him to deliver our Plan to Make Work Pay and put more money into the pockets of workers across the country.”

Employment Rights Minister Kate Dearden, said: “Matthew Taylor’s extensive experience will be vital in ensuring this new agency delivers real change for people who’ve been let down by poor employment practices for far too long.  

“Our Fair Work Agency will make a real difference, providing a single point of contact for workers and employers, and crucially, having the teeth to take action against businesses that flout the rules. 

“This is about creating workplaces where people are treated with dignity and respect. It’s exactly the kind of backing working people in this country deserve.”

Paul Nowak, general secretary at TUC, said: “The Fair Work Agency is a vital opportunity to turn the page on the era of inadequate enforcement. 

“For too long, bad bosses have got away with flagrantly breaking the law. 

“This isn’t right – it fails workers and the many decent employers who play by the rules.”

Nowak added: “That’s why the Fair Work Agency is so important. It is a chance to create a properly resourced body with real teeth to help good employers comply with the law and come down hard on those who refuse to do right by their staff.

“We look forward to working with Matthew Taylor in his role as chair to realise the Agency’s full potential, protect workers in every corner of the country and work with unions to drive up the quality of work.”

Neil Carberry, CEO of REC, said: “Matthew Taylor will bring a combination of deep care for workers being treated well and an understanding that work itself is changing fast. 

“Both workers and businesses need flexibility that goes beyond the structures of the past, while ensuring we avoid exploitation.

“The new Fair Work Agency is vital to this, so long as it builds on the expertise of its predecessor bodies, in particular the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate.”

Carberry added: “For too long, employment laws have been passed that the vast majority of firms comply with, absorbing the costs of adoption in the interests of fair treatment. 

“But those who flout the law have found it too easy to get away with it.  

“That damages great firms and exposes workers to poor treatment.

“We look forward to working with Matthew and the FWA team to address this in the interest of compliant businesses across the country.”

Peter Cheese, CEO of CIPD, said: “The appointment of Matthew Taylor as chair of the new Fair Work Agency is an important step toward building a more coherent, fairer system of labour market enforcement. 

“His experience and leadership will be crucial in driving forward the agency’s mission to prevent exploitation and promote fair treatment for all workers.

“To ensure its success, the Fair Work Agency must be equipped with the right resources and a strong employer-side voice from the outset.”

Cheese added: “Employers – particularly smaller businesses – need clear guidance and support to comply with the new Employment Rights Bill. 

“At the CIPD we look forward to working with Matthew to help the Fair Work Agency deliver on its ambition.”