Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, for what reason the introduction of electronic and workplace balloting was moved from April to August 2026.

The government will introduce electronic and workplace balloting through a statutory instrument under Section 54 of the Employment Relations Act 2004. Section 54 contains strict requirements that must be met in relation to ensuring that those entitled to vote have the opportunity to do so, the risk of malpractice is minimised, and ensuring that votes are cast in secret. This means the statutory instrument is complex and must be sufficiently detailed in order to meet these requirements. Therefore, to ensure we get the detail right and to minimise the risk of unintended consequences, there will be a short delay and these measures will now take effect in August 2026.