diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 25b1f13e9..5e6884919 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@
   <nav class="nhsuk-navigation" aria-label="Menu">
   ```
 
+- Links in the header component are now only underlined upon hover ([PR 1136]([https://github.com/nhsuk/nhsuk-frontend/pull/1136]))
+
 :boom: **Breaking changes**
 
 - Remove the boolean `showNav`, `showSearch` and `transactional` options from the header component. Respective parts of the header are now shown if values for `primaryLinks`, `search` or `transactionalService` options are provided. Additionally, the `searchAction` option is renamed `search.action` and the `searchInputName` option is renamed `search.name`. Finally, the label, button and placeholder text for the search input can be updated using the new `search.visuallyHiddenLabel`, `search.visuallyHiddenButton` and `search.placeholder` options. ([PR 996](https://github.com/nhsuk/nhsuk-frontend/pull/996))
diff --git a/packages/components/header/_header.scss b/packages/components/header/_header.scss
index 495b65022..72df71e6e 100644
--- a/packages/components/header/_header.scss
+++ b/packages/components/header/_header.scss
@@ -65,12 +65,7 @@
 .nhsuk-header__transactional-service-name--link {
   @include nhsuk-font(19, $line-height: 1.1);
   @include nhsuk-link-style-header;
-  text-decoration: none;
   text-wrap: balance;
-
-  &:hover {
-    text-decoration: underline;
-  }
 }
 
 .nhsuk-header__transactional-service-name {
@@ -280,7 +275,6 @@
   // and no underline on the link.
   &[aria-current="page"],
   &[aria-current="true"] {
-    text-decoration: none;
     box-shadow: inset 0 ($nhsuk-focus-width * -1) $nhsuk-border-color;
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/core/tools/_links.scss b/packages/core/tools/_links.scss
index 318af7e91..bcff7b716 100644
--- a/packages/core/tools/_links.scss
+++ b/packages/core/tools/_links.scss
@@ -71,13 +71,15 @@
   }
 }
 
-/// Header link styling (accounts for different header colour variants)
+/// Header link styling
+/// Removes underline and accounts for different header colour variants
 ///
 /// @example scss
 ///   @include nhsuk-link-style-header;
 
 @mixin nhsuk-link-style-header {
   color: inherit;
+  text-decoration: none;
 
   &:link,
   &:visited,
@@ -86,6 +88,10 @@
     color: inherit;
   }
 
+  &:hover {
+    text-decoration: underline;
+  }
+
   &:focus {
     background-color: $nhsuk-focus-color;
     box-shadow:
diff --git a/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_default_0_document_2_iPad.png b/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_default_0_document_2_iPad.png
index 5c633b192..66382929a 100644
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diff --git a/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_default_0_document_3_Surface_iPad_Pro.png b/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_default_0_document_3_Surface_iPad_Pro.png
index c9d177bcf..059c69e8a 100644
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diff --git a/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_organisational_0_document_2_iPad.png b/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_organisational_0_document_2_iPad.png
index b1a81dc3b..3682b614c 100644
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diff --git a/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_organisational_0_document_3_Surface_iPad_Pro.png b/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_organisational_0_document_3_Surface_iPad_Pro.png
index 8b5e040b8..e82cca284 100644
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diff --git a/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_organisational_with_white_header_0_document_2_iPad.png b/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_organisational_with_white_header_0_document_2_iPad.png
index 14f6e71e5..ef6050f31 100644
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diff --git a/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_organisational_with_white_header_0_document_3_Surface_iPad_Pro.png b/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_organisational_with_white_header_0_document_3_Surface_iPad_Pro.png
index d753346e0..c8d819d1e 100644
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diff --git a/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_0_document_0_iPhone_5_SE.png b/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_0_document_0_iPhone_5_SE.png
index fb3e4c63f..b83c5c1d7 100644
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diff --git a/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_0_document_1_iPhone_6-8.png b/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_0_document_1_iPhone_6-8.png
index 491ca0974..eaf7a967b 100644
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diff --git a/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_0_document_3_Surface_iPad_Pro.png b/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_0_document_3_Surface_iPad_Pro.png
index 78b707353..cfb2eb244 100644
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diff --git a/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_RBAC_0_document_0_iPhone_5_SE.png b/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_RBAC_0_document_0_iPhone_5_SE.png
index e9170a685..ef24b4e64 100644
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diff --git a/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_RBAC_0_document_1_iPhone_6-8.png b/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_RBAC_0_document_1_iPhone_6-8.png
index 831119ac3..044f468cf 100644
Binary files a/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_RBAC_0_document_1_iPhone_6-8.png and b/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_RBAC_0_document_1_iPhone_6-8.png differ
diff --git a/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_RBAC_0_document_2_iPad.png b/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_RBAC_0_document_2_iPad.png
index bdf6e675e..ac7b2d689 100644
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diff --git a/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_RBAC_0_document_3_Surface_iPad_Pro.png b/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_RBAC_0_document_3_Surface_iPad_Pro.png
index 6b7d79bbc..210ebe469 100644
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diff --git a/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_custom_html_0_document_0_iPhone_5_SE.png b/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_custom_html_0_document_0_iPhone_5_SE.png
index e9170a685..ef24b4e64 100644
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diff --git a/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_custom_html_0_document_1_iPhone_6-8.png b/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_custom_html_0_document_1_iPhone_6-8.png
index 831119ac3..044f468cf 100644
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diff --git a/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_custom_html_0_document_2_iPad.png b/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_custom_html_0_document_2_iPad.png
index bdf6e675e..ac7b2d689 100644
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diff --git a/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_custom_html_0_document_3_Surface_iPad_Pro.png b/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_account_logged_in_custom_html_0_document_3_Surface_iPad_Pro.png
index 6b7d79bbc..210ebe469 100644
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diff --git a/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_navigation_open_0_document_0_iPhone_5_SE.png b/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_navigation_open_0_document_0_iPhone_5_SE.png
index 626271b2e..59a8435a0 100644
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diff --git a/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_navigation_open_0_document_1_iPhone_6-8.png b/tests/backstop/bitmaps_reference/nhsuk-frontend_Header_with_navigation_open_0_document_1_iPhone_6-8.png
index e9183d1c9..1872d324b 100644
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