Draft Code of Practice on Electronic and Workplace Ballots for Statutory Trade Union Ballots

Parliament voted on 15 July 2026 to approve a draft code of practice governing electronic and workplace ballots for statutory trade union votes. The motion passed by 330 votes to 109. The code accompanies a statutory instrument (a form of secondary legislation) that permits trade unions to conduct compulsory ballots, such as those required before industrial action, by electronic, hybrid or workplace means rather than solely by post, as current law requires. The change matters because statutory trade union ballots have been conducted entirely by post since the 1980s, and the government argues that requirement has become expensive and slow. Allowing electronic, hybrid and workplace voting is intended to reduce the administrative burden on unions and increase member participation. The accompanying statutory instrument also corrects a minor error in unfair dismissal legislation to reflect changes made by the Employment Rights Act 2025. The new rules designate the trade union itself as the "responsible person" for choosing the ballot method, subject to legal requirements, rather than an independent scrutineer. Labour and its Co-operative Party partners voted unanimously in favour, joined by Plaid Cymru, the Green Party, the Scottish National Party and two smaller parties. Every Conservative MP who voted opposed the motion, as did all six voting Reform UK members, the Democratic Unionist Party's four voting members, and two independents. Two independents voted in favour. No Conservative or Reform UK MP supported the change. The vote reflects a broader pattern in this parliamentary session, with similar employment-related statutory instruments passing on comparable margins in early July 2026.