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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 Sole traders, informal partnerships and outdated partnership deeds are common.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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Dhir v Saddler [2017] EWHC 3155 ( QB) What are the practical implications of this case? This uncommon ruling on a slander claim offers useful direction to practitioners on how the law will be applied in such matters. Crucially, when deciding whether serious reputational harm has been caused, it is not a numbers game—the emphasis is on the calibre, not the volume, of those to whom the words were communicated. As to damages, the judgment clarifies that where a defamatory allegation is found to be untrue, the level of compensation should reflect that conclusion. Evidence about the claimant may reduce damages, provided it is linked to the subject of the defamatory imputation. Here, the pertinent material related to the claimant’s inclination to behave (or threaten to behave) violently, aligning with the nature of the allegation. The defendant’s conduct is also relevant to the...
Original news Brown v Bower [2017] EWHC 2637 ( QB) Key point The judge observed (at para [44] of the judgment) that this matter vividly exemplifies the difficulty and complexity of deciding whether conduct is, when measured against society’s overall standards, immoral. In particular, he remarked (at para [46]) that the question of whether it is defamatory to assert of a person that they have paid people for consensual sex is contentious, and remains a matter for debate in various quarters still. The court was not invited to determine whether the meaning of the impugned statement was defamatory at common law, but the......
Original news Singh v Weayou [2017] EWHC 2102 ( QB) Key point This ruling highlights the critical need to provide the court with honest and coherent evidence at all times......
What is Australia’s approach towards international free trade agreements? Australia is a proactive participant in global trade. In recent years, its commercial ties have centred on Asia, having lately finalised free trade agreements ( FTAs) with China, Japan and South Korea. Shortly after the 2016 EU referendum, the Australian Government signalled its readiness to negotiate an FTA with the UK. To advance this, a trade working group was established with a remit to ‘scop[e] out the parameters of a future ambitious and comprehensive’ FTA. The group first met in late November 2016. However, talks may not start until the UK has left the EU. How does Australia’s market compare to the UK? UK– Australia trade has taken place within the EU framework. The EU is Australia’s third-largest trading partner. Australia’s sales to the EU are dominated by mineral commodities (fuels and mining products) and...
What are the key changes brought about by the coming into force of the FCA’s new rules on price comparison sites? The FCA has brought in new provisions for high-cost short-term credit ( HCSTC) in section CONC 2.5A of the Consumer Credit Sourcebook ( CONC) within the FCA Handbook. These rules introduce extra obligations in the following areas: Rankings When credit brokers act as price comparison websites ( PCWs), HCSTC products must be listed in ascending order by price, calculated using the total amount payable ( TAP). The display must ensure that neither the order of results nor the prominence of any product is determined by the firm’s commercial interests or its commercial relationships. Advertising On PCWs, any financial promotion or other advertising for HCSTC must appear outside the ranking tables and not be mixed within them, and the search results must be clearly distinct from any...
Original news Middleton and another v Person Unknown or Persons Unknown [2016] EWHC 2354 ( QB) What should IP & IT lawyers take note of? This decision exemplifies a section 12 matter, which generally provokes little dispute. Section 12 was first examined in Cream Holdings Ltd and others v Banerjee and another [2003] EWCA Civ 103, [2003] 2 All ER 318. In Cream, the court affirmed the ‘more likely than not’ test, while preserving a discretion to grant an injunction where declining an interim order pending a full hearing would inflict substantial injustice on a claimant. Practitioners should ensure compliance with HRA 1998, s 12(4). HRA 1998, s 12(4) states: ‘ The court must have particular regard to the importance of the…right to freedom of expression and, where the proceedings relate to material which the respondent [to an application for an...
Background e IDAS Regulation: Regulation ( EU) No 910/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market and repealing Directive 1999/93/ EC What are the principal changes ushered in by the e IDAS Regulation? In what respects will the current regime be altered? Although signatures are commonly used on commercial paperwork, under English law a document generally need not be signed to have legal force, save for particular classes including: guarantees consumer credit agreements sales of real property, or wills When electronic formats such as fax and email emerged in the 1980s and 1990s, the courts in England adopted a notably liberal stance, treating even a telex answerback, generated without human action, as a valid signature. As a result, Directive 1999/93/ EC (the 1999 e Signature Directive), which came before the e IDAS...
Original news Digital TV streaming service found guilty of copyright violations, LNB News 26/06/2014 New York Times, 26 June 2014: The US Supreme Court held that Aereo, a television streaming platform, breached copyright by capturing broadcast signals with miniature aerials and forwarding them to subscribers for payment. The ruling was a significant victory for US broadcast networks, which argued Aereo had used a high-tech method to pilfer their content. What is the state of unauthorised online streaming in the US? The Aereo judgment adds to a global discussion about third parties distributing broadcast programmes, stepping in between broadcasters and viewers. The case turned on whether US copyright law required permission from broadcasters when Aereo picked up their programmes off-air and sent them online to its users. As a general rule, retransmitting a broadcast to the public in a Berne Convention country will infringe the...
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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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