Employment Rights Bill: motion relating to Lords Reason 72B

Parliament voted on 5 November 2025 to reject a series of Lords amendments to the Employment Rights Bill, backing the government's original position on worker protections by 312 votes to 151. The motion in question concerned Lords Reason 72B, part of a broader package of disagreements with the upper chamber covering guaranteed hours for workers, unfair dismissal protections, trade union ballot thresholds, political funds, and provisions relating to heritage rail volunteering. The Commons passed the motion to insist on its own position and, in several cases, substitute government amendments in lieu of the Lords' alternatives.

The vote matters because the Employment Rights Bill is the government's central piece of legislation aimed at reshaping employment law in Great Britain. The areas covered by this package of motions include the right to guaranteed hours for workers on irregular contracts (sometimes called zero-hours contracts), day-one unfair dismissal protections, changes to trade union strike ballot thresholds, and the reversal of parts of the Conservative-era Trade Union Act 2016. Rejecting the Lords amendments means the government's versions of these provisions advance towards becoming law, extending protections to workers who currently have limited recourse if dismissed early in employment or offered unpredictable hours.

The vote divided almost entirely along party lines, with Labour and Labour Co-operative MPs voting unanimously in favour, joined by the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, the Greens, and most independents. Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, and Reform UK voted against. There were no notable rebels on either side. The vote sits within a longer parliamentary ping-pong process between the Commons and the Lords, with related divisions in December 2025 showing the government consistently holding its position with majorities in the low-to-mid 300s.