The Employment Rights Bill is nearing completion, having reached the "ping-pong" stage between the House of Commons and the House of Lords (also known as "consideration of amendments").
The bill was subject to significant amendments by the Lords in July 2025, including those maintaining a six-month qualifying period for unfair dismissal and allowing workers to request, rather than be offered, guaranteed hours contracts. However, most of these amendments were rejected by the Commons on the 15th September 2025, largely restoring the bill to its original form.
The legislation has now returned to the Lords, but under parliamentary conventions (i.e. the Salisbury convention), it is anticipated that the Commons' determination to pass the bill largely in its current form will win out. With Parliament adjourned for party conferences until October, Royal Assent is unlikely before the second half of October at the earliest. Once enacted, however, Government consultations on key provisions are likely to begin.
