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Construction law and policy update—UKSC rejects Mackay v Dick; asbestos reforms; nuclear EN-7; grid connections; EU Construction Services Act and SMR; sustainability; CIOB survey; PMI falls

Published on: 13 November 2025

Published by a LexisNexis Construction expert
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Contract law

Supreme Court confirms the ‘Mackay v Dick’ notion is not part of English law; wrongful prevention of a condition’s fulfilment yields damages only, not a debt (King Crude Carriers SA and others v Ridgebury November LLC and others)

The Supreme Court in King Crude Carriers SA v Ridgebury November LLC [2025] UKSC 39 unanimously decided that English law does not recognise the so‑called ‘Mackay v Dick principle’, by which a party that improperly stops a contractual condition being met is treated as though the condition were satisfied. The Court held that the sellers’ claims to deposits could not succeed as debts; their exclusive remedy lay in damages for breach of contract. The judgment underlines that English contract law should turn on construction and implied terms, rather than resorting to legal fictions, and that discarding the ‘Mackay v Dick principle’ enhances certainty and consistency in commercial transactions, reinforcing predictability in business dealings across commerce overall...

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