Key Updates on UK Age Discrimination Law (2025)

• Equality Act 2010 – Age remains a protected characteristic, making discrimination unlawful in hiring, promotions, training, workplace policies, and dismissals.

• Types of Age Discrimination – The law recognises direct discrimination (e.g., refusing to hire someone over 50), indirect discrimination (e.g., requiring a degree when older workers are less likely to have one), harassment, and victimisation. 

• Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) – The Women & Equalities Committee has found that PSED protections are weak and rarely enforced, leading to calls for stronger accountability measures. 

• Parliamentary Review (2025) – The Women & Equalities Committee has urged the government to strengthen legal protections and develop a cross-government strategy to tackle widespread ageism.
   

Recent Tribunal & Case Law Updates

• Age Discrimination in Redundancy & Dismissals – Tribunal cases highlight bias in hiring, AI recruitment filtering, and redundancy processes, reinforcing the need for stronger legal protections. 

• Exceptions to Age Discrimination – Employers can justify age-related policies if they prove a legitimate business need (e.g., retirement ages for physically demanding jobs), but this justification is under scrutiny. 

• Tribunal Payouts Soaring – The average compensation for age discrimination cases has jumped 624% to £103,000, showing that courts are taking these claims more seriously. 

• Parliamentary Review Calls for Stronger Protections – MPs have urged the government to strengthen legal protections and create a cross-departmental strategy to tackle ageism.