[2] Sir Peter Bottomley, an employment minister, reportedly said that the act was "designed to ensure that trade unions are more democratic and their leaders more accountable to their members.

[4] Kenneth Clarke, who is a politician for the Conservative Party (UK) reported that, at a point approximately two years after the passing of the bill, 19 unions changed the practice to comply with the act.

have said that the law was passed after the start of the Falklands War due to the increase in popularity for the government brought on by the conflict.

It also allowed the legality of the miners' strike to be questioned, as members of the National Union of Mineworkers were not given the chance to vote on this issue.

This forced many miners into a dilemma: return to work, and be viewed as a "scab"; or maintain support and live primarily on donations, which is what the majority did.