Employment Tribunals Extension of Jurisdiction (England and Wales) (Amendment) Order 2026

Parliament voted on 1 July 2026 to approve the Employment Tribunals Extension of Jurisdiction (England and Wales) (Amendment) Order 2026, a statutory instrument extending the time limit for bringing most employment tribunal claims from three months to six months. The vote passed by 318 ayes to 107 noes. The order applies to England and Wales and works alongside a companion set of regulations covering Great Britain, which passed on the same day by 323 votes to 107. Both instruments give effect to changes introduced by the Employment Rights Act 2025. Workers who believe they have been dismissed unfairly, subjected to maternity discrimination, or suffered other employment rights violations will now have six months, rather than three, to lodge a claim with the tribunal. Labour MPs voted unanimously in favour, joined by the Greens, Plaid Cymru, and most independents. Conservatives voted unanimously against, as did the Democratic Unionist Party, Reform UK, and Traditional Unionist Voice. There were no notable cross-party rebels. The vote sits within the government's broader programme of employment law reform under the Employment Rights Act 2025, and the near-identical division numbers in both the order and the companion regulations suggest the committee divided on strict party lines throughout.