New UK Laws Coming Into Force | Legislation Tracker

Coming into force

New UK statutory instruments listed by the date they take legal effect, not the date they were published.

This week

Thu 29 Oct

Trading Standards Surveillance Powers for Vaping and Tobacco

Authorized local authority officials to use directed surveillance for enforcing new tobacco and vaping age-of-sale and proxy purchasing offences.

Department of Health and Social Care

Fri 30 Oct

Social Care Charging: Irish Mother and Baby Scheme Payments

Excluded Irish Mother and Baby Institutions redress payments from local authority social care financial assessments.

Department of Health and Social Care

Fri 30 Oct

Union Recognition: New Rules on Workplace Access and Conduct

Enacted a revised statutory Code of Practice setting standards for workplace access and prohibiting unfair practices during trade union recognition and derecognition procedures from 30 October 2026.

Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade

Fri 30 Oct

New Trade Union Workplace Access Rules Start October 2026

Activated a new statutory Code of Practice governing how trade unions access and communicate with workers at their places of employment.

Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade

Fri 30 Oct

Strike Action: New Worker Protections Against Detriment

Prohibited employers from subjecting workers to detriments for taking industrial action and enabled tribunal award adjustments for related claims.

Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade

Fri 30 Oct

Mother and Baby Scheme Payments Disregarded in Benefits

Introduced benefit disregards for the Irish Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme and increased fraud-related recovery rates for State Pension Credit.

Department for Work and Pensions

Fri 30 Oct

New Rules for Union Workplace Access Requests

Established the mandatory information and procedural requirements for trade union workplace access requests and employer response notices starting October 2026.

Department for Business and Trade

Fri 30 Oct

Trade Union Workplace Access Rights and CAC Penalty Rules

Established statutory timelines, conditions for access refusal, and financial penalties for trade union workplace access requests.

Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade

Sat 31 Oct

Planning Decision Rules for Officers and Committees

Mandated the delegation of specific planning decisions to local authority officers and capped the size of planning committees at 13 members.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Sun 1 Nov

Vehicle Type Approval Fees Rise from November 2026

Increased the hourly rates for vehicle examinations and introduced new charges for specialist technical analysis and the use of government testing equipment.

Department for Transport

Next week

Tue 3 Nov

Military Grievance Process and Service Complaint Changes

Updated the procedural rules and terminology for military service complaints and restricted certain appeal-related decisions from the grievance process.

Ministry of Defence

Wed 4 Nov

CQC Training and Support Functions Removed Following NGO Closure

Removed the Care Quality Commission's statutory responsibility to provide training and support for staff raising concerns in the NHS.

Department of Health and Social Care

Thu 5 Nov

Empty Home Seizure: New 6-Month Vacancy Rule for EDMOs

Shortened the required vacancy period for empty home management orders and removed specific administrative requirements for council applications.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Thu 5 Nov

Taxing Living Accommodation and Loans via PAYE Payroll

Added employee loans and living accommodation to the list of benefits that employers can tax directly through the PAYE system.

Thu 5 Nov

Port of Tyne Jurisdiction and Harbour Authority Powers

Modernised the Port of Tyne's governance structure, consolidated statutory harbour powers, and updated the Authority's regulatory and financial framework.

Fri 6 Nov

Online Safety Appeals and Immigration Judicial Review Changes

Updated Upper Tribunal procedures by setting deadlines for Online Safety Act appeals and revising service requirements for immigration judicial reviews.

Ministry of Justice

November 2026

Mon 9 Nov

Birth and Death Register Fee Recipient Changes

Amended the 2016 Fees Regulations to update terminology and specify fee recipients for birth, death, and marriage registration services following the introduction of electronic registers.

Home Office

December 2026

Sat 5 Dec

Sexual Offences Court Clerks Join Scottish Administration

Designated the Clerk and Deputy Clerks of the Sexual Offences Court as non-ministerial office holders within the Scottish Administration.

Fri 18 Dec

Rules for Family Court Reviews of Prohibited Steps Orders

Updated the procedural framework for the Family Court to review and manage prohibited steps orders issued by the Crown Court.

Ministry of Justice

Wed 30 Dec

Market Risk Rule Transition for Banks and Investment Firms

A new Article 465A was inserted into the retained Capital Requirements Regulation (EU No 575/2013) to mandate a transitional period, running from January 1st to December 31st, 2027, exempting credit institutions and certain investment firms from applying specific new PRA market risk model rules.

HM Treasury

January 2027

Fri 1 Jan

UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism Registration Rules

Established administrative procedures, registration requirements, and record-keeping standards for the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism starting January 2027.

Fri 1 Jan

UK CBAM Tax Rates and Relief Rules for Importers

Established the formulas for calculating UK CBAM rates and defined the verification procedures for importers to claim relief for carbon prices paid abroad.

HM Treasury

Fri 1 Jan

Calculating Embodied Emissions Under the New UK CBAM

Established the legal methodology for calculating and verifying carbon emissions for goods imported under the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism starting January 2027.

HM Treasury

Fri 1 Jan

Interim Registration and Payment Deadlines for UK CBAM

Adjusted the initial registration deadlines and accounting periods for the new UK carbon import tax system.

HM Treasury

Fri 1 Jan

Climate Change Levy Relief and Energy-Intensive Rules

Revised the eligibility criteria and sectors for Climate Change Levy discounts and updated the buy-out fee calculation formula.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Fri 1 Jan

Revised Definitions for UK Banks and Investment Firms

Incorporated updated financial definitions and regulatory activities into UK law to replace revoked EU-derived regulations effective 1 January 2027.

HM Treasury

Fri 1 Jan

Church Court and Legal Fees Revised from 1 January 2027

Revised and prescribed the fees payable to ecclesiastical judges, legal officers, and diocesan bodies for Church of England legal proceedings and annual offices beginning 1 January 2027.

Fri 1 Jan

Owen Evans Appointed Chief Inspector of Education in Wales

The Order appointed Owen Evans as the Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales for five years starting January 1st, 2027, and revoked the previous 2021 Order on that date.

Fri 1 Jan

Diocesan Registrar Annual Fees Set for 2027

Established the 2027 annual fee schedules and defined the scope of duties for Church of England diocesan and provincial registrars.

Fri 1 Jan

Rules for Live Broadcasting of National Sporting Events

Established the legal definitions and minimum requirements for live and alternative broadcasting coverage of nationally significant sporting events.

Office of Communications

Fri 1 Jan

Tobacco Age of Sale Notice Sizes and Retail Rules

Prescribed the dimensions for tobacco age of sale signage and updated retail display exemptions to reflect the new age of sale based on a 2009 birth date.

Department of Health and Social Care

Mon 4 Jan

Marine Licence Fees and Exemptions Change January 2027

Adjusted marine licensing fees, introduced annual inflation-linked increases, and modified exemptions for activities affecting Highly Protected Marine Areas.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Thu 7 Jan

Lists of Restricted Words for Car Marketing and Sales

Established a list of eight terms and their variants that can only be used to market vehicles authorised as automated under the 2024 Act.

Department for Transport

Wed 20 Jan

Machinery Safety: EU Rules Recognised in GB, Enforced in NI

Recognised products compliant with the EU Machinery Regulation for the Great Britain market and established market surveillance, conformity assessment, and enforcement regimes for the EU regulation in Northern Ireland.

Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade

Came into force in the last two weeks

Sun 25 Oct

MLA College Degree Awarding Powers Granted to 2030

Authorized MLA College Ltd to grant taught awards and degrees in specific subjects for a four-year period starting 25 October 2026.

Office for Students

Sat 24 Oct

Energy Bill Support: Extension of Grant Powers to 2027

Extended the sunset date for the government's energy cost support powers by six months to 25 April 2027.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Wed 21 Oct

Electric Vehicle Charger and School Building Rule Changes

Expanded permitted development rights for electric vehicle chargers and electricity substations while extending temporary permissions for schools with RAAC-affected buildings.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Fri 16 Oct

Hathern School Teacher's House Fund Reallocated

Reallocated the sale proceeds of a former teacher's house in Hathern to support local religious education and diocesan school infrastructure.

Department for Education

Fri 16 Oct

Green Gas Support Scheme Extension and Payment Changes

Extended the Green Gas Support Scheme commissioning deadlines and aligned reporting periods with the standard scheme year.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Thu 15 Oct

Human Rights Sanctions Extended to Overseas Territories

Extended UK human rights and international humanitarian law sanctions to specific British overseas territories and established local enforcement frameworks.

Thu 15 Oct

Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Sanctions Rules 2026

Established a consolidated UK sanctions regime for human rights and international humanitarian law violations, replacing the 2020 regulations.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Thu 15 Oct

Rules for Identifying Principal Use of Multi-Use Premises

Defined the criteria for determining the primary use of multi-purpose premises to clarify responsibilities under counter-terrorism protection laws.

Home Office

Wed 14 Oct

Climate Report Response Deadline Extended to December

Extended the statutory deadline for the UK government to respond to the Climate Change Committee's 2026 report to 17 December 2026.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Where an instrument comes into force in stages, it is listed under the date its first provisions take effect. Check the instrument itself for the dates that apply to each provision.