UK Equality (Race and Disability) Bill: Mandatory Disability Pay Gap Reporting Expected from 2028

Summary

The UK government is advancing mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting as part of the Equality (Race and Disability) Bill. A consultation closed on 10 June 2025, and the government proposes a reporting framework mirroring the existing gender pay gap system — including mean and median hourly pay differences. While draft legislation was not mentioned in the 2026 King's Speech, legal experts at Pinsent Masons suggest this signals delay rather than abandonment, with the first 'snapshot date' now likely to be no earlier than April 2028. Separately, the Employment Rights Act 2025 — described by Acas as 'the strongest package of equality-related employment reforms in a generation' — is being phased in across 2026-2027, including equality action plans (voluntary from April 2026, mandatory from 2027) and a new Fair Work Agency established 7 April 2026. Together, these reforms will reshape employer accountability for disabled workers across the UK.