You can legally be made redundant while pregnant, but you cannot be made redundant because you are pregnant or planning to take maternity leave. Being selected for redundancy due to pregnancy or maternity is unlawful discrimination and usually counts as automatically unfair dismissal under UK law.

Key point in law

  • UK law allows genuine redundancies to include pregnant employees if there is a real business reason and a fair process that does not take pregnancy or maternity into account.
  • If pregnancy or maternity is even part of the reason why you were chosen, that is likely automatic unfair dismissal and discrimination under the Equality Act 2010 and Employment Rights Act 1996.

When redundancy can be lawful

A redundancy is more likely to be lawful if:

  • There is a genuine redundancy situation (e.g. workplace closure, reduced need for your role, restructuring affecting several people, not just you).
  • The selection criteria are objective and applied to everyone in the pool (for example, skills, attendance not related to pregnancy illness, performance records, qualifications).
  • Your pregnancy, antenatal appointments, pregnancy‑related sickness, or intention to take maternity leave are not used negatively in scoring or decision‑making.

Extra protections during pregnancy and maternity

  • During pregnancy, dismissal is still possible for fair reasons (like genuine redundancy), but the reason must be unconnected to pregnancy, and the employer must follow proper process.
  • If you are on maternity leave and your role is made redundant, the employer usually has to offer you any suitable alternative vacancy that exists, ahead of other at‑risk employees.
  • If you have told your employer you are pregnant, certain enhanced protections around redundancy and dismissal apply for a period covering pregnancy, leave, and shortly after return.

Warning signs it may be unfair

You should be especially cautious if:

  • You are the only one in your team “at risk” while others doing the same job remain safe without clear, objective reasons.
  • Negative comments, changed attitudes, or actions started soon after you announced your pregnancy.
  • Pregnancy‑related sickness, time off for scans, or your planned maternity leave were mentioned in meetings about redundancy or used to score you down.

If any of this fits your situation, you may have claims for pregnancy/maternity discrimination and unfair dismissal and should get specific legal advice quickly, as tribunal deadlines are strict.

Practical steps to take

  • Keep a clear written record: emails, meeting notes, comments, timelines from when you announced your pregnancy to the redundancy process.
  • Ask in writing for:
    • The business reason for redundancy.
    • The “selection pool” and criteria used.
    • Your scores and those of comparable colleagues (often anonymised).
  • Get tailored advice from:
    • Citizens Advice.
    • ACAS.
    • A specialist employment lawyer or a charity such as Working Families.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.

If you share roughly what stage you’re at (just told work, at‑risk meeting, formal redundancy notice, on maternity leave), a more tailored step‑by‑step approach can be outlined.