Many basic workplace rights could disappear, creating costly legal uncertainty for employees and employers, unless the UK government makes a proactive decision to keep EU-derived employment law, leading lawyers and trade unions have warned.

The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill contains a so-called “sunset clause” that could see almost 4,000 EU laws simply expire at the end of 2023 unless Rishi Sunak’s government decides to produce equivalent UK legislation.