Protection against dismissal for pregnant employees and those on or returning from family-related leave

Implementation date: Expected 2027

The Employment Rights Bill extends protection from dismissal for pregnant employees and those on or returning from family-related leave.

Under the Bill, it will not be permissible for employers to dismiss an employee during pregnancy, while on maternity leave and during the six-month return to work period, other than in specific circumstances. The protection will also apply to employees during, and on return from, adoption leave and shared parental leave. The provisions extend the protection that currently applies in relation to redundancy dismissals.

The circumstances in which dismissal will be lawful will be defined by regulations at a later date. 

The Government has confirmed, in Implementing the Employment Rights Bill: Our roadmap for delivering change, that these measures will take effect in 2027. 

On 23 October 2025, the Government launched a consultation on Enhanced dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers. The consultation seeks views on whether any of the potentially fair reasons for dismissal should be removed or narrowed in relation to pregnant women and new mothers, or whether a different test should apply to assess the fairness of these dismissals.

It also asks for views on when the period of protection should start and end, and whether protection should apply to employees taking other types of family leave.