On 16 December 2025, the House of Lords resolved the final point of dispute in the Employment Rights Bill – whether the cap on unfair dismissal should be removed – paving the way for Royal Assent before Christmas.
The Bill introduces sweeping employment law reforms, including new provisions on strikes and trade unions, enhanced protective awards for collective redundancies, and restrictions on fire-and-rehire practices. It also reduces the qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims to six months from January 2027, although the timing for removing the compensation cap remains uncertain.
Implementation will be phased through 2026 and 2027, supported by over 20 consultations and secondary legislation following Royal Assent.

The EU has finalized measures to simplify and delay the application of key sustainability regulations, providing businesses with greater clarity and planning certainty. The changes follow the Omnibus package introduced earlier in 2025 and include amendments to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and related frameworks. The EU Parliament approved the amendments, and EFRAG released revised European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) to streamline reporting obligations. Updates to the EU Taxonomy, adopted in July 2025, will apply from January 2026, and targeted simplifications and delays to the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) were also endorsed.

Major recent US immigration changes are reshaping employer compliance and visa processes—from social media vetting to costly new programs and reduced work permit validity. Find out what these updates mean for your workforce and future planning. For example, the Gold Card Program launched, offering a path to permanent residence but with unclear timelines and requirements. EAD validity periods have been shortened, and automatic extensions removed for most categories, increasing compliance risks. Proposed ESTA changes will require extensive social media history, making applications more complex.

In brief President Trump has issued an Executive Order (the Order) directing the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to launch investigations into the U.S. food sector, focusing on potential price-fixing, other forms of criminal collusion, and non-criminal anticompetitive conduct. The Order creates new Food Supply Chain…