Enacted in summer 2022, the legislation put forward by then-chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng turned around a decades-long ban on calling in agency workers during strikes. The High Court decided the new legislation, brought in as the UK was hit by a spate of industrial action, was unlawful.

Asked to respond, the CEO of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), Neil Carberry, said the government’s decision to not appeal was “common sense”. 

He went on to say: “This gives recruiters certainty that the law will revert to its original state in early August and stay that way for the foreseeable future.

“Agency staff have a choice of roles and it was always very unlikely they would choose to cross picket lines, and in any dispute would only ever aggravate tensions.

“The government has made a sensible call in not appealing… Should the Department for Business and Trade choose to table replacement regulations, these cannot be rushed in light of the judgment of the High Court. A full consultation will allow recruiters to air their views. It will also run up against the ticking clock as we head for the General Election next year.”

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