Employment Rights Bill: Motion to disagree with Lords Amendment 23

Parliament voted on 15 September 2025 to reject Lords Amendment 23 to the Employment Rights Bill, passing the motion to disagree by 329 votes to 163. The Lords had inserted a provision reducing the qualifying period before a worker can claim unfair dismissal from two years to six months, rather than accepting the government's preferred approach of protection from the first day of employment. By voting down that compromise, the Commons kept the Bill's original commitment to day-one unfair dismissal rights. The practical effect is that, when the Act comes into force, workers will be able to claim unfair dismissal from their first day at work rather than waiting six months or two years. The government has said it intends to consult on a statutory probationary period of around nine months, during which a lighter-touch dismissal process would apply. Opponents argued that removing any qualifying period would deter employers from taking on new workers, raise tribunal costs, and harm youth employment and social mobility. Supporters argued that workers should not have to wait months before receiving basic protection from arbitrary dismissal. The vote divided almost entirely along party lines. All 274 Labour MPs and 34 Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted supported rejecting the Lords amendment. The 85 Conservatives, 66 Liberal Democrats, 7 Reform UK MPs, and 2 Democratic Unionist Party MPs who voted all opposed the motion, backing the Lords compromise. The SNP, Plaid Cymru, and the Greens joined Labour in the aye lobby. The result reflects the continuing passage of a flagship piece of legislation through what is known as ping-pong, the process by which the Lords and Commons exchange amendments until agreement is reached.