<p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">The President of Employment Tribunals in England and Wales has issued new Presidential Guidance on taking oral evidence by video or telephone from witnesses or parties who are located abroad. The Guidance takes effect from 27 January 2025. As acknowledged by the President, for many years oral evidence has been heard remotely in Employment Tribunals without proper consideration of whether appropriate permission was in place from the relevant foreign state. The Guidance states that this position is no longer sustainable since it risks damaging the UK’s diplomatic relations with other states and is therefore contrary to the public interest. As a general principle, parties must now demonstrate that there is no legal or diplomatic barrier to the Tribunal taking oral evidence from within the relevant foreign state. Some states have already given permission for oral evidence to be taken from individuals in their territory, and this can be checked on the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office website. Where a state’s permission has not been given, it must be obtained by contacting the relevant authorities. In all cases, the Tribunal must also be satisfied that allowing oral evidence from abroad is in the interests of justice and consistent with the overriding objective to deal with cases fairly and justly, including through avoiding delay and saving expense.</p>