April is always a busy month for employment law with new minimum payment rates and legislative changes. April 2026 is no exception. Some of the initial provisions of the Employment Rights Act 2025 ( ERA ) will come into force in April, together with the annual increase in minimum rates of pay. Further there will be an increase in immigration fees. We have updated our ERA tracker, as the timetable for implementation has shifted – see below. Below is an overview of the chan

What steps is the Government taking to allay the pressures on the ET – and will these go far enough? A version of this article first appeared in Employer News 24 March 2026 Last week’s Employment Tribunal statistics show that pressure on the UK’s Employment Tribunal system continues to grow. In Q3 2025 there were around 52,000 open cases, increasing to 58,000 by the end of December 2025, an increase of roughly 11–12% in just one quarter. The widening gap between claims rec

Planned strikes by National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers members on the London Underground in the next six weeks highlight the complexities of introducing a compressed four-day week. Unions are at loggerheads over the proposals with the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen supporting the move for fewer working days days, the RMT warns longer shifts could increase fatigue and safety risks. Employment lawyer, Alan Lewis , commenting to Peop

British industry is already feeling the strain of Labour’s restrictive immigration curbs, and a move to zero net migration could exacerbate this. The Home Office continues its determination to reduce migration as last week’s Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules made clear, with tightened salary rules for sponsored workers and the first ever nationality-specific ban on student visa applications. Although the Home Office states this will be a temporary measure, does t

On 5 March the Home Office laid a Statement of Changes to the UK Immigration Rules. Here are the key points to know from a business immigration perspective. The English language requirement will be increased for applications for settlement (ILR) submitted from 26 March 2027 in certain categories. The current English language requirement for settlement is Level B1 (intermediate) from the Common European Framework of Reference, in speaking and listening. The new requirement

Ahead of the implementation of key provisions of the ERA 2025, the Government is consulting with business and key stakeholders, to help shape the finer detail of the Act. The Government has announced the latest of those consultations, relating to: industrial action detriment; and collective redundancy. We recognise the importance of these consultations to our client base and therefore urge you to get involved . This is your opportunity to have your voice heard and to h

The following article first appeared in Free Movement on 23 February, 2026. From 25 February the UK will begin enforcing pre-departure checks which require carriers to confirm that passengers have permission to travel. This has raised concern that dual British nationals who only hold a foreign passport will be denied boarding or refused entry to the UK. The headlines are frantic: “New passport rules set to affect more than one million Brits – who risk being banned from flig

The Liberal Democrats have urged Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to delay new border controls that could prevent British dual nationals from entering the UK. From 25 February 2026, dual citizens must present a valid or expired British passport, or a £589 certificate of entitlement (which takes 8 weeks to obtain), or risk being denied boarding. Families report cancelled trips to see dying relatives and attend funerals, while others fear being stranded abroad. Commenting to The