Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Labour's Agenda for UK Commercial Disputes: Litigation Funding Post-PACCAR, Arbitration Act Reforms, Competition Policy, Anti-SLAPP and Legal Aid

Published on: 05 July 2024

Published by a Law360 reporter

Legal News

Article summary

Labour’s manifesto offered scant detail on commercial disputes or the broader legal sector, bar proposals to expedite certain criminal cases through the courts at pace. And, in contrast to the Conservatives, Labour conspicuously omitted key legislative measures on arbitration and class actions from its manifesto entirely. Dispute resolution practitioners will look closely to see if Labour resumes the work started under the Conservative administration in this arena. Here, Law360 sets out what to anticipate from the new government under Prime Minister Keir Starmer now.

Picking up the torch

Lawyers and the litigation funding industry were left in limbo when a proposed bill drafted to reverse the effects of the 2023 Supreme Court decision, known as PACCAR, was not taken forward in the ‘wash-up’ period before Parliament was formally dissolved. The bill, which had received a second reading in the upper House of Lords, was designed to ensure that litigation funding agreements, which provide for the funder to take a share of damages, are enforceable in law. The original wording, which would have made it retrospective, did not convince everyone, prompting reservations in some quarters. Nevertheless, before dissolution the Litigation Funding Agreements (Enforceability) Bill had secured broad cross-party support in Parliament...

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