300 commitments tracked

- The government published the outcome of a consultation on mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting, including a government response and Annex A: Draft primary legislation (Consultation outcome: Equality (Race and Disability) Bill: mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting, Office for Equality and Opportunity, Race Equality Unit, Disability Unit, Seema Malhotra MP and The Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP, 25 March 2026). - The consultation document states the government is seeking views on measures to include in the Equality (Race and Disability) Bill for introducing mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers (Consultation on mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting, Office for Equality and Opportunity, Race Equality Unit, Disability Unit, Seema Malhotra MP and The Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP, March 2025).

- Full Fact, updated 2 February 2026, states the government has not allocated the full £7.3 billion to the National Wealth Fund (NWF) in this parliament (How much capital has the government committed to the National Wealth Fund?, Full Fact, 2 February 2026). - The National Wealth Fund was formally established on 14 October 2024 by transforming the UK Investment Bank (How much capital has the government committed to the National Wealth Fund?, Full Fact, 2 February 2026). - The government confirmed the NWF would receive an additional £5.8 billion over the course of this parliament (How much capital has the government committed to the National Wealth Fund?, Full Fact, 2 February 2026). - The remaining £1.5 billion of the £7.3 billion pledged in the manifesto was stated to be "reserved to maintain flexibility in how the government can best deliver against its aims for the NWF" (How much capital has the government committed to the National Wealth Fund?, Full Fact, 2 February 2026). - The June 2025 Spending Review confirmed the allocation of £5.8 billion to the NWF over the course of the parliament (How much capital has the government committed to the National Wealth Fund?, Full Fact, 2 February 2026).

- The Department for Business and Trade and HM Treasury announced the launch of the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council on 17 December 2024 (Press release, Government launches Industrial Strategy Advisory Council to boost growth and living standards, Department for Business and Trade, HM Treasury, Industrial Strategy Advisory Council, 17 December 2024). - No further published evidence specific to establishing the Council on a statutory footing has been identified since 2024.

- The Department for Business and Trade announced a package of reforms to tackle late payments on 30 July 2025, including plans for upcoming legislation to introduce maximum payment terms of 60 days, reducing to 45 days (Press release, Time to pay up: Toughest crackdown on late payments in a generation unveiled in plan to back small businesses, Department for Business and Trade, 30 July 2025). - The announcement also detailed plans to give stronger powers to the Small Business Commissioner, including the ability to wield fines and enforce a 30-day invoice verification period (Press release, Time to pay up: Toughest crackdown on late payments in a generation unveiled in plan to back small businesses, Department for Business and Trade, 30 July 2025). - No published evidence of the legislation being enacted has been identified.

- The Employment Rights Bill received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025, becoming the Employment Rights Act 2025 (The Employment Rights Bill is now the Employment Rights Act 2025, Acas, various dates). - Acas stated that most employment law changes included in the Act will happen in 2026 and 2027, with most changes not yet having occurred (The Employment Rights Bill is now the Employment Rights Act 2025, Acas, various dates). - Rules around 'minimum service levels' for strikes were removed on 18 December 2025 (The Employment Rights Bill is now the Employment Rights Act 2025, Acas, various dates). - From 18 February 2026, dismissal for taking part in industrial action became 'automatically unfair', and changes to trade union activity and ballot rules took effect (The Employment Rights Bill is now the Employment Rights Act 2025, Acas, various dates). - From 6 April 2026, paternity leave became a 'day one right' (The Employment Rights Bill is now the Employment Rights Act 2025, Acas, various dates).

- The Employment Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025 (The Employment Rights Bill is now the Employment Rights Act 2025, Acas, various dates). - Acas stated that most employment law changes included in the Act will happen in 2026 and 2027, with most changes not yet having occurred (The Employment Rights Bill is now the Employment Rights Act 2025, Acas, various dates). - No published evidence has been identified confirming an outright ban on exploitative zero hours contracts.

- The Employment Rights Act 2025 makes fire-and-rehire dismissals automatically unfair unless the employer faces severe financial difficulty (Current evidence, 2026-04-09). - The Employment Rights Act 2025 became law on 18 December 2025 (Employment Rights Act 2025, Acas, 2026-04-09). - Implementation of the fire-and-rehire provisions has been delayed from October 2026 to January 2027 (Current evidence, 2026-04-09). - The Department for Business & Trade states that reforms introduced through the Employment Rights Act 2025 will be delivered in phases, with measures for 2027 still being worked towards (Plan to Make Work Pay and Employment Rights Act Timeline Update, Department for Business & Trade, 2026-04-09).

- The Employment Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025 (Current evidence, 2026-04-09). - Day one rights to paternity leave and unpaid parental leave took effect from 6 April 2026 (Employment Rights Act 2025, Acas, 2026-04-09; Plan to Make Work Pay and Employment Rights Act Timeline Update, Department for Business & Trade, 2026-04-09). - Day one rights to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) took effect from 6 April 2026 (Current evidence, 2026-04-09). - Day one unfair dismissal protection has been abandoned; the qualifying period for unfair dismissal will be reduced from two years to six months from January 2027 (Current evidence, 2026-04-09).

- The Employment Rights Act 2025 establishes the Fair Work Agency (FWA) from 7 April 2026 (Current evidence, 2026-04-09). - The Fair Work Agency consolidates the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), and HMRC’s National Living and Minimum Wage enforcement functions (Current evidence, 2026-04-09; Employment Rights Act 2025: Fair Work Agency, CIPD, 2026-04-09). - The FWA will take on enforcement of a wider range of employment rights, including state enforcement of holiday pay for the first time (Employment Rights Act 2025: Fair Work Agency, CIPD, 2026-04-09). - Full operational capability for the Fair Work Agency is expected in 2027 (Current evidence, 2026-04-09).

- The Low Pay Commission (LPC) remit for recommendations applying from 1 April 2026 explicitly required consideration of the cost of living and inflation forecasts (Low Pay Commission Report 2025, Low Pay Commission, 2026-04-09). - The government's remit to the LPC for recommendations applying from 1 April 2027 continues to require consideration of the cost of living, including inflation forecasts (Low Pay Commission Remit 2026, Department for Business & Trade, 2026-04-09). - The National Living Wage (NLW) rose to £12.71 from April 2026 (Current evidence, 2026-04-09).

- The government remains committed to removing discriminatory age bands for adults and aligning the National Minimum Wage for 18-20 year olds with the National Living Wage (Low Pay Commission Remit 2026, Department for Business & Trade, 2026-04-09; Low Pay Commission Report 2025, Low Pay Commission, 2026-04-09). - The Low Pay Commission (LPC) was instructed to consult on how to achieve the removal of age bands (Low Pay Commission Report 2025, Low Pay Commission, 2026-04-09). - The LPC has flexibility to determine the pace and timing of alignment, with priority given to the employment prospects of younger workers (Low Pay Commission Remit 2026, Department for Business & Trade, 2026-04-09). - The 18-20 year old rate rose to £10.85 from April 2026, narrowing the gap with the adult rate of £12.71, but full equalisation has not yet been achieved (Current evidence, 2026-04-09).

- The right to switch off from work outside contracted hours was not included in the Employment Rights Act 2025 (Current evidence). - The government confirmed there are no current plans to proceed with a statutory right to switch off (Current evidence). - A proposed Code of Practice for this right has been shelved (Current evidence). - No specific published evidence from the provided search results contradicts these statements.

- The Employment Rights Act 2025 includes enhanced protection from dismissal during pregnancy and for 6 months after return from maternity, adoption, or shared parental leave (Current evidence). - A factsheet titled 'Enhanced dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers' is available as part of the Employment Rights Act 2025 publications (Employment Rights Act 2025: factsheets, Department for Business and Trade, 3 March 2026). - These protections are expected to come into force in 2026-27 (Current evidence).

- The Employment Rights Bill framework includes a right to disconnect, which will give workers the right not to be contacted outside working hours except in emergencies (Employment Rights Bill Framework, Department for Business and Trade, 2024). - A code of practice for the right to disconnect is currently being developed (Employment Rights Bill Framework, Department for Business and Trade, 2024). - No further published evidence has been identified since 2024. - A search on gov.uk for 'Introduce a right to switch off from work outside contracted' returns 31,317 results, indicating relevant content exists (GOV.UK Search, HM Government, 2026-04-09).

- The Employment Rights Bill establishes a new Fair Work Agency that will bring together the enforcement of holiday pay, national minimum wage, and agency worker regulations into a single body (Employment Rights Bill, Department for Business and Trade, 2024). - No further published evidence has been identified since 2024. - A search on gov.uk for 'Establish a new Fair Work Agency to enforce workers' rights' returns 15,371 results, indicating relevant content exists (GOV.UK Search, HM Government, 2026-04-09).

- The Employment Rights Bill bans exploitative zero-hours contracts and will give workers the right to a guaranteed hours contract reflecting regular hours worked (Employment Rights Bill, Department for Business and Trade, 2024). - The Bill also includes day one rights to unfair dismissal, subject to a probation period (Employment Rights Bill, Department for Business and Trade, 2024). - No further published evidence has been identified since 2024. - A search on gov.uk for 'Ban exploitative zero-hours contracts and guarantee rights f' returns 4,289 results, indicating relevant content exists (GOV.UK Search, HM Government, 2026-04-09).

- The Employment Rights Bill simplifies the union recognition process and includes a right of access to workplaces for union representatives (Employment Rights Bill, Department for Business and Trade, 2024). - The Bill also repeals minimum service levels legislation and permits electronic balloting (Employment Rights Bill, Department for Business and Trade, 2024). - No further published evidence has been identified since 2024. - A search on gov.uk for 'Strengthen trade union rights including right of access to w' returns 9,164 results, indicating relevant content exists (GOV.UK Search, HM Government, 2026-04-09).

- The commitment to introduce mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers is included in the manifesto and the Employment Rights Bill framework (Employment Rights Bill Framework, Department for Business and Trade, 2024). - No regulations have yet been laid, and the extension of mandatory gender pay gap reporting to include ethnicity and disability is currently in development (Employment Rights Bill Framework, Department for Business and Trade, 2024). - No further published evidence has been identified since 2024. - A search on gov.uk for 'Introduce mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporti' returns 6,632 results, indicating relevant content exists (GOV.UK Search, HM Government, 2026-04-09).

- The Employment Rights Bill, which includes provisions for bereavement leave extending beyond parental bereavement to cover all close family members, is currently in committee stage (Internal Briefing, Department for Business and Trade, pre-2026-04-09). - No further published evidence specific to the Bill's progress or enactment has been identified from the provided gov.uk search results.

- Provisions for a Fair Work Agency, intended to consolidate HMRC NMW enforcement, EAS, and GLAA into a single body, are included in the Employment Rights Bill (Internal Briefing, Department for Business and Trade, pre-2026-04-09). - Royal Assent for the Employment Rights Bill was expected in 2025 (Internal Briefing, Department for Business and Trade, pre-2026-04-09). - No further published evidence specific to the enactment of the Bill or the establishment of the body has been identified from the provided gov.uk search results.

- The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act came into force in October 2024, introducing a new preventative duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment (Internal Briefing, Department for Business and Trade, pre-2026-04-09).

- The Invest 2035 industrial strategy has been published, and an Industrial Strategy Council is currently being established (Internal Briefing, Department for Business and Trade, pre-2026-04-09). - Statutory footing for the Council is planned to be achieved via legislation (Internal Briefing, Department for Business and Trade, pre-2026-04-09). - No further published evidence specific to the Council's full establishment on a statutory basis has been identified from the provided gov.uk search results.

- Current evidence indicates that the Employment Rights Bill does not create a single worker status, with this commitment being deferred. - Current evidence indicates that the government is consulting on the simplification of the worker/employee distinction. - Current evidence indicates that this remains a longer-term commitment. - No further specific published evidence has been identified.

- Current evidence indicates that the right to request flexible working from day one came into force in April 2024 under previous government regulations. - Current evidence indicates that the Employment Rights Bill includes provisions to strengthen this right, aiming to make flexible working the default where practicable. - No further specific published evidence has been identified.

- Current evidence indicates that the Employment Rights Bill includes provisions for pregnancy loss leave. - Current evidence indicates that these provisions extend bereavement rights to cover miscarriage before 24 weeks. - Current evidence indicates that the Bill is currently in the committee stage. - No further specific published evidence has been identified.

- Current evidence indicates that the "Invest 2035" industrial strategy was published in October 2024. - Current evidence indicates that this strategy identifies eight growth sectors: advanced manufacturing, clean energy, creative industries, defence, digital, financial services, life sciences, and professional services. - No further specific published evidence has been identified.

- Current evidence indicates that the Employment Rights Bill includes provisions to repeal the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023. - Current evidence indicates that this Bill aims to restore the full right to strike without minimum service level requirements. - No further specific published evidence has been identified.

- The Department for Business & Trade published "the UK's Trade Strategy" in 2025, outlining plans for agile and hard-headed trade diplomacy (The UK's Trade Strategy, Department for Business & Trade, 2025).

- Approximately £1.48 billion has been paid to over 11,500 claimants as of February 2026 (Current evidence). - 87% of Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) applications have received offers (Current evidence). - The process has been criticised as slow, with the Group Litigation Order (GLO) scheme particularly delayed (Current evidence). - The Department for Business and Trade and Post Office publish data on financial redress and legal costs for the Horizon scandal, with the latest update on 10 March 2026 (Post Office Horizon financial redress and legal costs data for 2025, Department for Business and Trade and Post Office, 10 March 2026).

- The current evidence states that the Employment Rights Bill includes enhancements to whistleblower protection (Current evidence, Department for Business and Trade, Undated). - The current evidence notes that these enhancements extend to cover a wider range of disclosures and provide stronger remedies for victimised whistleblowers (Current evidence, Department for Business and Trade, Undated).