On 23 October 2025, the Government launched a series of consultations on reforms under the Employment Rights Bill (ERB), focusing on family rights and trade union reforms. Businesses and workers are invited to share their views on how these reforms should work in practice.
In this article, we outline the consultation proposals on enhanced dismissal protection for pregnant women and new mothers and the new entitlement to bereavement leave. For details on the trade union reform consultations, see here.
The Employment Rights Bill introduces a range of new protections and entitlements for working families, including stronger rights around family leave, protection against dismissal, and enhanced bereavement support. We’ve provided a detailed overview of these changes in our article: Preparing for change: family rights under the Employment Rights Bill.
The Government has published consultations on two changes to family rights:
Both consultations remain open until 15 January 2026, with reforms expected to come into effect sometime in 2027 following separate regulations.
The ERB gives the Government power to make it unlawful to dismiss pregnant women and new mothers, other than in specific circumstances. 'New mothers' is defined as those who have given birth in the last 18 months. The Government is seeking views on the practical details of implementing this reform.
The consultation asks for input on the following:
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