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R (Greyhound Board of Great Britain Ltd) v Welsh Ministers [2026] EWHC 670 (Admin) What are the practical implications of this case? The ruling reinforces the constitutional divide between the courts and the legislature. It explains that the scheme and framework of the Government of Wales Act 2006 (GWA 2006) embody that separation of powers, and that any judicial attempt to recognise and enforce a common law obligation on Welsh Ministers to consult prior to introducing legislation in the Senedd would trespass upon that boundary. This is not a departure from established principle; case law has already upheld comparable rules for lawmakers in Scotland and at Westminster. However, this is the first express confirmation of the position for Welsh lawmakers, and the first time this dimension of the GWA 2006 has been analysed in such depth. The court examined earlier
The solution arrived through the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC), a quasi‑judicial body handling mass claims, created under UN Security Council Resolution 687. By addressing environmental harm—most notably via its ‘F4’ claim class—the UNCC set a seminal benchmark shaping how international law and contemporary arbitral panels allocate financial responsibility for wartime ecological devastation. With present-day wars in areas such as Eastern Europe and the Middle East bringing dam breaches, strikes on chemical facilities, and the burning of farmland, the UNCC’s legacy endures as an essential reference point for states, global investors, and companies engaged in post‑conflict arbitration. The F4 claims: Quantifying the unquantifiable Prior to the 1990s, mechanisms in international law for war reparations overwhelmingly favoured property loss, foregone earnings, and bodily injury. The natural world was commonly treated as a mute, non-compensable victim of armed hostilities...
Understanding the farming business as a business Many farms still use long-standing structures that arose by habit, not strategy. Sole traders, informal partnerships and outdated partnership deeds are common. While once effective, such setups can cause major issues around succession, tax planning and involving the next generation. A corporate team can take a fresh, business-led view of the farm, asking: Who owns the land and other critical assets? Who manages daily operations? Who carries the risk and who enjoys the return? What is the enduring plan for succession? From this review, the team can confirm whether the current setup is fit for purpose or if an alternative — for example an updated partnership agreement, a company, a limited liability partnership, or a blended model — would better meet the family’s aims. Tax efficiency through joined-up advice Tax sits at the centre of most
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The ACA’s press release of 22 January 2025 In response to HMRC’s consultation, which has just closed, the release warned that pension schemes may face penalties for missing deadlines set under the new tax rules, as required. Until now, retirement savings of up to £1,073,100 have been outside inheritance tax altogether. However, measures outlined in the Autumn Budget 2024 mean that those who take lump‑sum pension assets exceeding £325,000 from a deceased person’s estate will incur 40% tax accordingly under these changes......
The financial services firm stated that slightly over a third of households are on course for a modest retirement. Hargreaves Lansdown noted that the so-called 'retirement resilience' measure has slipped from 38% compared with six months earlier. Helen Morrissey, head of retirement analysis at Hargreaves Lansdown, told Law360 that, since the coronavirus ( COVID-19) pandemic, later-life financial security has weakened across every income band, with middle and lower-income households bearing the heaviest strain. Morrissey said, ' One major driver of the growing pension gap is high inflation, which lifts the sum you must put aside for a moderate retirement'......
In this issue: Automatic enrolment Investment Taxation Contracting-out Public sector pensions Daily and weekly news alerts Dates for your diary Trackers Automatic enrolment DWP publishes review of earnings trigger and qualifying earnings band for 2025/26 The Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP) has released a review assessing the automatic enrolment ( AE) thresholds—namely the earnings trigger and the qualifying earnings band—for the 2024 to 2025 financial year. In a written statement, the Minister for Pensions, Torsten Bell, emphasised that this year’s review primarily seeks to preserve the stability of automatic enrolment for both employers and individuals. The government also aimed to keep its framework enabling individuals to build pension savings while remaining affordable for employers and taxpayers. The review concludes that every AE threshold for 2025/26 will stay at the 2024/25 levels. The earnings trigger for automatic enrolment sets the point at which an...
Plans to apply tax to unused pension funds and death benefits from April 2027 The Society of Pension Professionals ( SPP) warns that proposals to levy a charge on unspent pension pots and death benefits from April 2027 could spark multiple issues. The professional body highlighted that beneficiaries may encounter avoidable hardship due to likely holdups in settling payments. Potentially lengthy delays in distributing benefits, causing unnecessary difficulty for some recipients The measures were set out by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in October 2024, as part of her first Budget. According to the trade body, the scope of the reforms remains unclear and the implementation deadlines risk being “unrealistic and impractical”. Up to now, retirement savings of as much as £1,073,100 have fallen outside inheritance tax. Under the new approach, however, anyone receiving lump-sum pension assets exceeding £325,000 from a deceased person’s estate would face a 40% tax...
Fund managers and advisers linked to the Local Government Pension Scheme ( LGPS) warned that hurried changes could depress investment outcomes, leaving local taxpayers to carry the cost. The government has proposed sweeping reforms to the £400bn LGPS, which is currently split across 86 smaller funds ranging from £300m to £30bn. The plan is to combine these holdings into several much larger megafunds, providing the scale to commit more capital to infrastructure projects. Crucially, the Treasury will set a 5% target for every LGPS administering authority to invest in the local economy......
In response to a government consultation On 14 January 2025, the financial services consultancy stated that Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s drive to merge DC schemes into megafunds does not clearly show tangible advantages for members. The package of measures, unveiled by the Chancellor in November 2024, seeks to establish megafunds to unlock economies of scale by granting far greater freedom to channel retirement pots into illiquid holdings, including national infrastructure schemes and companies. The approach would shift focus towards investing directly in the economy rather than the prevailing habit of loading pension portfolios with gilts. Even so, Broadstone contended that ministers must set out fuller information explaining how this overarching long-term stated core policy aim of......
In this issue: Scheme investments Scheme governance Pension transfers International pensions Daily and weekly news alerts Dates for your diary Trackers Scheme investments HM Treasury maintains pension fund clearing exemption for the longer term Under Article 89(1) of Assimilated Regulation ( EU) 648/2012 ( UK EMIR), pension schemes currently benefit from a temporary waiver from the obligation to centrally clear specified derivative contracts. This permits schemes, if they prefer, to continue transacting such contracts on a bilateral basis. The carve-out has been rolled forward on several occasions. In April 2023, the Pension Fund Clearing Obligation Exemption and Intragroup Transaction Transitional Clearing and Risk- Management Obligation Exemptions ( Extension and Amendment) Regulations 2023, SI 2023/472, were presented to Parliament. Among other provisions, those regulations prolonged the clearing exemption for two years, moving its end date from 18 June 2023 to 18 June...
The MP for Swansea West in Wales will assume the cross-departmental brief formerly held by Torsten Bell MP’s predecessor, the Prime Minister’s Office stated on 14 January 2025. Torsten Bell MP served as Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation from 2015 to October 2024. The Resolution Foundation has been leading calls for several reforms to the pension system, including the replacement of the triple lock......
Original news Mr Hyman ( CAS-88359- S7J2)–17 October 2024 Summary The Deputy Pensions Ombudsman has dismissed a complaint concerning a scheme opt-out. Both the provider and the employer were found to have complied with their automatic enrolment obligations. The provider had sufficiently explained the opt-out procedure. As the contributions were repaid, the complainant experienced no financial loss. This outcome reinforces that the automatic enrolment framework is highly prescriptive, and its rules must be observed in every instance. What were the facts? Mr Hyman was subcontracted to undertake work for Exact Payroll through his own asset management company......
Original news Mr R ( CAS-63400- N0T9) – 21 October 2024. Summary The Deputy Pensions Ombudsman dismissed a grievance concerning a transfer into a pension liberation arrangement. It was considered inappropriate to assess the decision through the lens of hindsight. The 2013 ‘ Scorpion’ guidance post-dated the transfer by two years and therefore did not apply anyway. The Scheme undertook suitable, robust and proportionate due diligence consistent with industry practice at the time. This outcome confirms the Pensions Ombudsman does not make retrospective judgements in such circumstances. What were the facts? Mr R held deferred status as a member in the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (the ‘ Scheme’)......
Summary The Pensions Ombudsman has partially upheld a complaint concerning the distribution of discretionary death benefits. In the absence of a letter of wishes, the Scheme trustee took into account all pertinent matters and carried out suitable enquiries. The trustee’s outcome was not considered perverse or unreasonable. Nevertheless, the complainant was awarded £500 for the notable distress and inconvenience arising from a 12-month delay in the commencement of his spouse’s pension. The Ombudsman’s decision underlines that there is a demanding threshold for disturbing the exercise of a trustee’s discretion... What were the facts? Mr R’s late wife ( Mrs R) belonged to both the defined benefit ( DB) and defined contribution ( DC) sections of the Credit Suisse Group ( UK) Pension Fund (the Scheme). Shortly before she died, Mrs R received an enhanced transfer quotation exceeding £500,000 in respect of the defined benefits she had...
Original news Mrs H ( CAS-65551- M8D0)—22 August 2024 Summary The Pensions Ombudsman has dismissed a complaint regarding a discretionary pension established by statute. The scheme’s provisions were outdated and offered no benefit to deferred members. To be entitled to a pension, an individual had to leave the Salvation Army’s service and make a claim—something the complainant had not done. The preservation legislation did not apply because no employer-provided resources existed ( Salvation Army workers are viewed not as employees but as officers of religion). The Ombudsman’s decision serves as a reminder that the rules of a pension scheme determine a person’s eligibility for benefits. What were the facts? Mrs H was a commissioned officer for the Salvation Army ( SA)......
Original news Professor M ( CAS-50740- F3M5 and CAS-38376- G3P7)—19 September 2024 Summary The Deputy Pensions Ombudsman dismissed a grievance concerning the absence of a late retirement uplift and an alleged lack of warning about the repercussions of leaving a pension arrangement. The trustees had no duty, in fact, to counsel a member on the implications of opting out. Even had a duty arisen, the applicant would nonetheless have exited, since his overriding aim was to preserve his lifetime allowance protections. The decision firmly underscores that, even where a duty is owed, any breach must result in a foreseeable loss for the member in question. What were the facts? Professor M belonged to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (the Scheme). He had exceeded the Scheme’s normal pension age and continued contributing, thereby qualifying for a late retirement factor within the Scheme itself......
Original news Mr S ( CAS-78487- F8S2)—7 October 2024 Summary The Pensions Ombudsman dismissed a complaint concerning a transfer into a pension liberation arrangement. Despite flaws in the scheme’s transfer procedures, the Ombudsman concluded the complainant would have proceeded even if extra warnings had been issued. The determination underscores the need to assess whether any gaps in the due diligence process would truly have influenced a member’s decision to transfer... What were the facts? Mr S was a deferred member of the Asda Group Pension Scheme (the Scheme). In 2014, he received an unsolicited call from an unregulated provider promoting a pension scheme featuring an appealing hotel investment. Mr S asked the Scheme to provide transfer details to an FCA-authorised adviser. He was to act as trustee of the receiving scheme......
Original news Mr Y ( CAS-11778- X7B6) —30 September 2024 Summary The Deputy Pensions Ombudsman dismissed a grievance concerning payment of an early deferred retirement pension following redundancy. The applicant, a protected person under the Electricity Act 1989, had experienced several TUPE transfers. The Deputy Pensions Ombudsman concluded he was not eligible for the pension because his service was continuous and he had not been compulsorily retired when his active membership ended. His employers were under no duty to inform him that his position might have been improved had he transferred his accrued benefits at the point of the final employment transfer. This determination underlines the complexities that can arise when members with protected person status undergo multiple employer moves... What were the facts? Mr Y was a member of the Magnox section of the Electricity Supply Pension Scheme ( ESPS). As such, he was a...
The changing economic environment Broadstone reported a sharp fall in the value of pension redress since early 2022, when the typical compensation package exceeded £150,000. The size of any award following poor pension advice is shaped by movements in yields on UK government bonds, commonly referred to as gilts. As gilt yields increase, the present value of future pension liabilities declines, leading, in turn, to significantly smaller lump-sum redress settlements from advisers. This relationship directly lowers the cash value of compensation now available to those seeking redress......
In this issue: Key developments and materials Members and benefits Public sector schemes Daily and weekly news alerts Dates for your diary Trackers Key developments and materials Themes and considerations on the pensions radar for 2025 The core storylines for 2025 in pensions are consolidation and a governmental drive to boost investment in the UK economy, though legal and systemic hazards are on the horizon for the sector. The move to build new pension megafunds with the heft to channel a further £80bn into domestic infrastructure and start-ups sits within the Labour government’s Mansion House programme over 2025. In parallel, the Prudential Regulation Authority ( PRA)—the watchdog said to oversee the Bank of England—will roll out an ‘enhanced’ life insurance stress test in January 2025, with outcomes anticipated in the third quarter for publication. The PRA’s exercise will gauge the financial robustness of insurers that have vowed to deploy up to £100bn after...
What is the background to TPR's updated covenant guidance? TPR issues guidance that accompanies its Codes of Practice, signalling how it expects stakeholders to meet legislation it oversees. Unlike the Codes, this guidance is not formally approved by the Secretary of State; however, it is: an indicator of TPR’s likely enforcement stance; and persuasive before the courts, though not legally binding, so it remains material when tackling any regulatory matter. The covenant guidance addresses how to assess the employer covenant during the triennial valuation of a DB pension scheme. Trustees must conduct that valuation at least every three years and, in most cases, agree it with the employer, as required by Pe A 2004, Pt 3. Historically, covenant-related guidance flowed from trustees’ duties to adopt appropriate valuation assumptions and, in doing so, to identify scheme risks and adopt a prudent approach to them. The strength of the...
Background Mr Simon Hamilton Kaigh and Mr Michael Mc Nally set up three occupational pension schemes: the Eleven Property Pension Scheme, the SHK Property Services Pension Scheme, and the Gilbert Trading Pension Scheme (together, the Schemes). The trustees were either the men themselves or companies under their sole direction. More than 100 individuals moved their pensions into the Schemes, with many promised an upfront payment on transfer. In practice, a portion of Scheme assets was then used to fund those payments. The trustees also directed funds into offshore companies linked to the relevant individuals and, overall, the investments were high risk, undiversified, and not in members’ best financial interests. Additionally, Brambles Administration Ltd ( Brambles), the Schemes’ administrator, took £3,000 from each member for supposed administration costs six years in advance, at £500 per annum. When members sought to review...
Labour’s Mansion House agenda includes setting up fresh pension megafunds, capable of directing a further £80bn into UK infrastructure and start-ups. At the same time, the Prudential Regulation Authority ( PRA) (the regulatory authority that supervises the Bank of England) plans stress checks on insurers that have pledged as much as £100bn for the economy, following the introduction of more relaxed capital rules. Helen Ball, a partner at Sacker & Partners LLP, noted there are many justifications behind both the present and former governments’ push to channel pension assets into the UK economy. She added that while the intentions are sound, every party must put savers first. Elsewhere, court decisions risk piling additional costs onto pensions and insurers. Providers may face extra blows on coronavirus ( COVID–19) claims when several landmark test cases finish in 2025. Without government steps to narrow a Court of...
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When evaluating a general damages claim, the practitioner ought initially to refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG)...
This Practice Note This Practice Note reviews mechanisms used in settling litigation. A Tomlin order consists of a consent order paired with a schedule. It operates to stay proceedings on terms that have been agreed. The provisions contained in the schedule may remain confidential. This Practice Note describes the scope of confidentiality attaching to the schedule and sets out how it differs from a standard consent order. Sample wording for a Tomlin order is included, alongside links to precedents, as well as guidance on court approval. It also addresses varying, setting aside and enforcing a Tomlin order, including the considerations the court will take into account when handling applications for each. Further guidance is provided on interpreting and applying the relevant provisions of the CPR; however, some courts and divisions impose very specific requirements for both drafting and approval, and for approaching the schedule and confidentiality issues. Accordingly, you must consider the particular rules and court guide provisions in the forum where your claim is proceeding when drawing up the Tomlin order...
Date [ date ] Parties [ name of Landlord ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Landlord) [ name of Tenant ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Tenant) [ [ name of Guarantor ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Guarantor) ] [ [ name of Mortgagee ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Mortgagee) ] Definitions Within this Deed, the terms below shall be interpreted as follows: [ Annual Rent • the annual sum reserved under the Lease; ] [ Insurance Rent • the Tenant’s share of the Landlord’s costs of insuring the Property (as set out in the Lease); ] Lease • the lease of the Property dated [ date ], entered into between (1) [ the Landlord OR [ name ...
I, [ name ], of [ address ], solemnly and sincerely state that: [ Matters to be verified, set out in numbered paragraphs ] I make this solemn statement in good conscience, believing it to be true, and pursuant to the provisions of the Statutory Declarations Act 1835. DECLARED at [ details ] this [ day ] day of [ month and year ] Before me ................................................................................ [ signature of the person before whom the declaration is made ] A [ commissioner for oaths OR [ solicitor OR [ insert other qualification ] ] authorised to administer oaths ]...
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