Stop. Pause. Go! Re-evaluating the Arbitration Bill & why it's time replace the current Arbitration Act

• Analyses the proposed amendments to the Arbitration Bill currently going through Parliament and discusses the need for additional changes.

The English Arbitration Act 1996 (AA 1996) served well for nearly a quarter of a century. However, over time, a sense developed across the arbitration community that a fresh look at the Act was overdue and a Law Commission review, announced in November 2021, was widely welcomed.

Having concluded that there was no need for a ‘root and branch’ reform of English statutory arbitration law by introducing an entirely new Arbitration Act, the Law Commission recommended revisions and amendments to the Act in six main areas (see box).

You may recall that the recommendations were published in September 2023 and a new Bill was included in the King’s Speech later that year. Further progress was stymied