Employment update: other developments August 2025

There have been several interesting developments in the last month, which are summarised below.

Unpaid internships: call for evidence

The DBT has published a call for evidence, seeking evidence and views on unpaid internships and internships paid below the national minimum wage (NMW), unpaid work trials and work trials paid below the NMW, voluntary workers, volunteers and work shadowing. The call for evidence closes on 9 October and the Government expects to publish its response in January or February 2026.

Low Pay Commission (LPC) remit 2025

The Government has published the LPC remit, in which it asked the LPC to make recommendations on the rates that will apply from 1 April 2026 for the national living wage, the NMW for 18 to 20 year-olds and the other NMW rates. The LPC has been asked to seek to narrow the gap between the national living wage and the NMW. Its recommendations are due by the end of October.

Review of the whistleblowing framework

The DBT has published independent research on understanding the effectiveness of the whistleblowing framework in Great Britain. The research was commissioned by the previous Government and carried out by Grant Thornton.

EHRC updated Code of Practice delayed

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) consulted on updates made to its Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations (the Code) between 20 May and 30 June. The consultation focused on changes needed to the Code following the Supreme Court’s decision in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, which clarified the definition of “sex” under the Equality Act 2010 (the Act). The EHRC sought views on how the updates reflect the Court’s decision and whether they provide clear guidance on complying with the Act. The EHRC aimed to send the updated version of the Code to the Government by the end of July. However, it received more than 51,000 responses to the consultation and now expects to finalise the updated Code by the end of August. The Code will need to be approved by Parliament before it becomes statutory guidance.

Acas tips for employers to manage the hot weather at work

Acas has published top tips to help employers manage workplace challenges due to the hot weather. It covers areas such as workplace temperatures, keeping cool at work, staying hydrated, dress code, getting into work and vulnerable workers.