Equality Act 2010: Primary legislation protecting against discrimination based on protected characteristics (age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion/belief, sex, sexual orientation). Ensures rejection reasons aren't discriminatory and requires reasonable adjustments for disabled candidates.

Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR: Regulates the handling of personal information, determines retention periods for application materials, and ensures proper handling of candidate's personal data during the recruitment process.

Human Rights Act 1998: Protects fundamental rights including the right to privacy and ensures fair treatment during the recruitment and rejection process.

Employment Rights Act 1996: Provides the general framework for employment relationships and ensures fair practices in recruitment processes.

Record Keeping Requirements: Best practice consideration to maintain detailed records of the recruitment process for potential future reference or disputes.

Objective Reasoning Requirement: Best practice consideration to provide clear, objective reasons for rejection if requested by the candidate.

Confidentiality Obligations: Best practice consideration to maintain strict confidentiality of candidate information and recruitment decisions.

Feedback Provisions: Best practice consideration to have a process in place for providing constructive feedback to rejected candidates when requested.

Consistent Treatment Protocol: Best practice consideration to ensure all candidates are treated consistently throughout the recruitment and rejection process.