WONE Global's guide to United Kingdom records these changes under disputes and enforcement. Each statement below has been checked against the source it links to.
The Arbitration Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 24 February 2025, and its amendments to the Arbitration Act 1996 came into force on 1 August 2025 under the Arbitration Act 2025 (Commencement) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/905).
Sections 16 to 18 came into force on Royal Assent; the rest on 1 August 2025.
legislation.gov.uk · Arbitration Act 2025, section 1 (commencement annotations) ↗ Checked against an official source · Not yet professionally reviewed · checked 19 October 2026
Unless the parties agree otherwise, a tribunal may make an award on a summary basis on a claim or issue if a party has no real prospect of succeeding on it or of defending it, after giving the parties a reasonable opportunity to make representations.
New s39A Arbitration Act 1996.
legislation.gov.uk · Arbitration Act 2025, section 7 (inserting s39A Arbitration Act 1996) ↗ Checked against an official source · Not yet professionally reviewed · checked 19 October 2026
Arbitrators and prospective arbitrators must disclose, as soon as reasonably practicable, circumstances that might reasonably give rise to justifiable doubts about their impartiality, including circumstances they ought reasonably to be aware of; this duty is mandatory.
New s23A Arbitration Act 1996, added to the mandatory provisions in Schedule 1.
legislation.gov.uk · Arbitration Act 2025, section 2 (inserting s23A Arbitration Act 1996) ↗ Checked against an official source · Not yet professionally reviewed · checked 19 October 2026
Where parties have agreed to rules providing for an emergency arbitrator and one is appointed, the emergency arbitrator may, unless the parties agree otherwise, make a peremptory order if a party fails without showing sufficient cause to comply with an order or direction.
New s41A Arbitration Act 1996.
legislation.gov.uk · Arbitration Act 2025, section 8 (inserting s41A Arbitration Act 1996) ↗ Checked against an official source · Not yet professionally reviewed · checked 19 October 2026
Under new section 6A of the Arbitration Act 1996, an arbitration agreement is governed by the law the parties expressly agree applies to it or, failing that, the law of the seat; choosing a law for the main contract is not by itself an express choice for the arbitration agreement.
Does not apply to arbitration agreements arising from standing offers in treaties or non-UK legislation (investor-state cases).
legislation.gov.uk · Arbitration Act 2025, section 1 (inserting s6A Arbitration Act 1996) ↗ Checked against an official source · Not yet professionally reviewed · checked 19 October 2026
In a court challenge to an award for lack of jurisdiction under section 67, where the applicant took part in the arbitration, new grounds and new evidence are allowed only if they could not reasonably have been raised before the tribunal, and evidence heard by the tribunal is not reheard, unless the court directs otherwise in the interests of justice.
New s67(3B)-(3D) Arbitration Act 1996, applying where the tribunal has already ruled on the objection.
legislation.gov.uk · Arbitration Act 2025, section 11 ↗ Checked against an official source · Not yet professionally reviewed · checked 19 October 2026
This is a summary of the rule as published, not advice on how it applies to you. The WONE Global Partner for this service in United Kingdom can advise on that.
