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Mills & Reeve system for employees.
Most of the Act’s provisions in relation to family-related leave will take effect from 6 April 2026, but some won’t be implemented until 2027. In addition, a separate Act which gives additional rights to unpaid leave for bereaved partners is also being implemented from 6 April.
Following Royal Assent on 18 December, we now have a fixed date for the measures in the Employment Rights Act that will be taking effect early in the New Year: 18 February.
After months of unexpected delays, the Bill completed its passage through Parliament on 16 December, clearing the way for the first stages in the government’s implementation plans.
Yesterday (10 December) the Government was narrowly defeated in the Lords over its last-minute amendment to the Employment Rights Bill to remove the cap on compensation for unfair dismissal.
This morning the Government has published its latest amendments to the Employment Rights Bill. The paper reflects the changes announced by the Government on 27 November 2025 and gives the detail we have been waiting for.
Yesterday, the Government announced that it had backed down on its plan to introduce Day 1 unfair dismissal rights. This comes following significant push back from the House of Lords in parliamentary debate and discussions with key business stakeholders.
Earlier this week (17 November) the House of Lords again rejected amendments which the Commons reinstated in the Bill earlier this month, potentially delaying the Government’s implementation timetable.
Last night (5 November) the House of Commons rejected the latest Lords’ amendments to the Bill). However, they have made some concessions, in the hope of persuading the Lords to back down when the Bill returns to them for the third time.
Today, 5th November, employment lawyers are watching Parliament with bated breath as the House of Commons considers the latest amendments to the landmark Employment Rights Bill.
On 28th October, the House of Lords declined to accept all the amendments to the Bill passed in the Commons last month. That means that the Bill failed to complete the final step in the Parliamentary process, and "ping pong" continues.
The Government has launched four new consultations on the implementation of the Employment Rights Bill. They relate to the following new rights: the duty to inform workers of the right to join a trade union, workplace access rights for trade unions, enhanced dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers, and leave for bereavement including pregnancy loss.
On 15 September, the House of Commons reviewed the Lords’ proposed changes to the Employment Rights Bill. As anticipated, all non-Government amendments were rejected primarily because they conflicted with Labour’s manifesto pledges on employment rights.