Legal News

In this issue: Practice Compliance forecast Financial sanctions Other practice Compliance updates this week Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Practice Compliance forecast New Practice Compliance forecast as at 20 May 2025 The latest Practice Compliance forecast, dated 20 May 2025, has been published. This edition covers: (1) HM Treasury’s proposed suite of amendments to the Money Laundering Regulations; (2) OPBAS’s planned targeted appraisal of SARs; (3) movement in the Crime and Policing Bill that widens corporate criminal liability; and (4) the SRA’s draft business plan and budget consultation for 2025–26. See News Analysis: New Practice Compliance forecast as at 20 May 2025. Financial sanctions FCDO announces West Bank sanctions and pauses Israel trade talks The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office ( FCDO), via Hamish Falconer MP and the Rt Hon David Lammy MP, unveiled sanctions on three...

Advocate General Szpunar has presented his views in Joined Cases C- 416/24 On Air Media Professionals and C- 417/24 Different Media, arising from a Romanian national reference. The request seeks guidance, inter alia, on whether applying retroactively a revised Romanian-language version of an EU regulation enables national authorities to reclaim State aid granted on the basis of the initial Romanian text, taking into account the principles of legal certainty and safeguarding legitimate expectations. The reference asks, amongst other matters, whether the retroactive effect of a corrected Romanian-language version of an EU regulation can lawfully justify recovery of aid previously conferred under the uncorrected Romanian wording in Romania. Background On 27 August 2020, the Commission approved, under the Temporary Framework supporting the economy during the COVID-19 outbreak, a Romanian measure for SMEs and certain larger undertakings. That scheme was then implemented...

In this issue: WTO Free trade agreements Customs Daily and weekly news alerts WTO Russia launches WTO dispute against EU CBAM Russia lodged a request for consultations at the World Trade Organization ( WTO), contesting the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism ( EU CBAM). The challenge concerns EU Regulation 2023/956 creating the CBAM, Directive 2003/87/ EC on emissions trading, and associated implementing acts......

In this edition: EU fundamentals Commercial Corporate Data protection and cyber security Free movement, immigration and employment Financial services Energy Environment Insurance and reinsurance IP Life sciences Regulatory TMT International trade Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers EU fundamentals Commission unveils EU Single Market Strategy The European Commission has set out a fresh Single Market Strategy, intended to deliver a simpler, more seamless and stronger European domestic market. See: LNB News 21/05/2025 23. First UK– EU summit seals new strategic partnership The inaugural UK– EU summit on 19 May 2025 concluded with a ‘new strategic partnership’, building on the Withdrawal Agreement and the Trade and Co-operation Agreement. Core elements include a pledge to progress a Sanitary and Phytosanitary ( SPS) Agreement, an agreement on UK participation in the EU internal electricity market, and an agreement linking the UK and EU emissions trading schemes ( ETSs). In addition, a new Security and Defence Partnership was agreed. Annual summits will follow. See: LNB News...

In this issue: Pension Schemes Bill The Pensions Regulator Transfers Daily and weekly news alerts Dates for your diary Trackers Pension Schemes Bill Pensions surplus release plans to be included in Pension Schemes Bill In a statement, the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP) confirmed proposals that would permit defined benefit ( DB) pension schemes to distribute a share of their surpluses through the forthcoming Pension Schemes Bill. The purpose is to help sponsoring employers reinvest in their businesses while unlocking extra value for scheme members. With around three-quarters of DB schemes now in surplus and deficit contributions markedly lower (from £16bn in 2010 to under £5bn in 2024), the DWP and pensions minister Torsten Bell emphasised that the reforms will ensure any surplus use is secure, member-centric, and aligned with wider economic ambitions. The precise design of the...

Background This appeal examines the breadth of the public’s access rights over Dartmoor under DCA 1985, s 10(1). The court was asked to decide whether that provision gives members of the public permission to erect tents or otherwise camp overnight on the Dartmoor Commons (the Commons). Section 10(1) states, in effect, that, subject to the Act and observance of any rules, regulations or byelaws in force for the commons, the public enjoys a right of access to the commons on foot or on horseback for the purpose of outdoor recreation. The Dartmoor National Park ( DNPA) was designated as a national park in 1951 under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 ( NPACA 1949). Within DNPA there are areas of moorland that are privately owned, yet other local people hold rights to place their livestock there. The...

As at 20 May 2025, our Practice Compliance forecast maps forthcoming regulatory changes relevant to law firm compliance, helping you plan for developments that may affect your organisation. Please review it carefully; key matters to keep on your radar are highlighted below. New items we’re tracking this month HMT Consultation on Improving the Effectiveness of the Money Laundering Regulations — the Regulatory Initiatives Forum has released a fresh edition of the Regulatory Initiatives Grid, setting out HMT’s package of reforms to the Money Laundering Regulations, slated for implementation between October and December 2025, following the 2024 consultation to enhance effectiveness under the Economic Crime Plan 2023-26. See: AML, CTF and counter-proliferation financing. OPBAS SAR Project: Phase 1 findings, action taken and next steps — following phased assessments of suspicious activity reports, OPBAS has called on Professional Body Supervisors to improve both the volume and standard of SAR...

Note: the CPRC no longer distributes the underlying papers alongside the minutes; as a result, no documents explaining the issues considered are supplied with this News Analysis. A copy of the minutes is available here: Minutes of the Civil Procedure Rule Committee. Welcome, apologies and introductory remarks (item 1) The minutes of the 7 March 2025 meeting were formally agreed, albeit subject to a clarificatory amendment to paragraph 3 concerning updates to certain court guides (see News Analysis: Minutes of the CPR Committee meeting—7 March 2025). Two items were noted under the action log, namely: The Ministry of Justice’s ( Mo J) reply to the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments ( JCSI) about the expression ‘nominal claimant’ in the Civil Procedure ( Amendment) Rules 2025, SI 2025/106 was submitted to, and accepted by, the JCSI. The JCSI determined the phrase has a technical legal...

What is reservoir safety? Reservoir safety addresses the physical stability and sound operation of reservoirs, with particular attention to their dams and embankments. It concerns public protection and the security of critical infrastructure. Reservoirs serve as a strategic buffer in water resource management, holding surplus during wetter periods to sustain supply through dry spells. In England, the regime currently applies to ‘large raised reservoirs’ able to store more than 25,000 cubic metres of water above ground level. In Wales, the bar is lower, covering reservoirs with a capacity exceeding 10,000 cubic metres. As at March 2025, there were 2,146 such regulated reservoirs in England alone. The potential hazard is considerable: about 2.6 million people could be endangered if a dam failure led to catastrophic flooding. What is the aim of the new regime? The reforms intend to introduce a modernised, future-proof framework for reservoir safety across...

On 16 May 2025, WPI Economics noted that pension funds already hold £280bn in UK assets and cautioned that rigid rules setting fixed allocations might have unintended consequences. The caution followed the government’s unveiling of the Mansion House Accord, under which 17 pension schemes signalled plans to open up for pension savers access to potentially higher net returns from private markets within diversified portfolios, while also increasing investment in the UK. They argued that prescriptive fixed-allocation mandates risk backfiring in practice......

Re F ( A Minor) ( Permission To Appeal) [2025] EWHC 638 ( Fam) What are the practical implications of this case? As many High Court appeals arise from reserved or written judgments handed down after the hearing, it is vital for any aggrieved litigant to identify when the 21‑day period starts for seeking permission to appeal. The judgment on appeal stresses the continuing need for a robust and workable appeals regime in practice—one that is, as Mr Justice Warby (as he then was) put it in Monroe v Hopkins (no 2) [2017] EWHC 645 ( QB), ‘clear and understandable’—and which, in the end, puts the onus on the party intending or contemplating an appeal either to make the application promptly or to ask for time to do so from the court if necessary. What was the...

What are the practical implications of this case? The practical ramifications of this decision are notable. It examines the impact of international treaty duties in Article 5 ECHR upon domestic law. At first instance, Lieven J disagreed with Mr Justice Keehan’s reasoning in A Local Authority v D and others [2015] EWHC 3125 ( Fam), [2016] 2 FLR 601, stating that he had merged two discrete issues. Keehan J’s concern was that a local authority is an organ of the State and, therefore, when a child’s liberty is restricted, the State is responsible for a deprivation, necessitating a procedure prescribed by law, proper safeguards and periodical reviews. Lieven J, by contrast, accepted that the child’s restrictions were imposed by the State, yet maintained that this does not mean the local authority, acting as the corporate parent under [section 33 of the Children Act 1989 ( Ch A...

State aid General Court overturns Commission decision dismissing State aid complaint concerning alleged new aid by Lithuania to a Lithuanian public service broadcaster The General Court delivered its judgment in Case T‑72/22, Interneto žiniasklaidos asociacija and Others v Commission, in proceedings challenging the Commission’s letter of 25 November 2021, by which it refused a complaint asserting that Lithuania had granted new aid to Lietuvos nacionalinis radijas ir televizija VšĮ ( LRT), the Lithuanian public service broadcaster. The Court upheld the appeal and annulled the Commission’s letter in full. Background LRT is a public service broadcaster owned by the Lithuanian State. Created by statute in 1990, it was subsequently reorganised by legislation in 1996 (the Law on LRT). That Law on LRT was later amended in 2015 (the 2015 amendments) and again in 2020 (the 2020 amendments). Under the version of the Law on LRT...

'financial lives' survey On 16 May 2025, the FCA reported in its 'financial lives' survey that, in 2024, 33% of DC pension holders had under £10,000 in their pot, a decrease from 40% in 2020. Among the 17,950 people surveyed between February 2024 and June 2024, 56% said their combined pot totalled £10,000 or more, up from 49% in 2020. The FCA also highlighted that one in ten people had no cash savings at all, while a further 21% had less than £1,000 available for an emergency. It additionally concluded that one in four people in the UK had what it described as low financial resilience: they had missed payments, were finding it difficult to keep pace with commitments, or lacked savings to help them through challenging periods......

Destin Trading Inc v Saipem SA [2025] EWHC 668 ( Ch) What are the practical implications of this case? This decision provides authoritative direction on how overlapping dispute resolution clauses interact, notably where a settlement follows earlier contracts containing arbitration terms. Taking a commercially pragmatic stance, the court confirmed that a later settlement incorporating a new jurisdiction clause will generally regulate all connected disputes thereafter, unless matters are expressly carved out. For legal practitioners, the consequences are twofold: When negotiating settlements, evaluate whether the parties intend to displace existing arbitration provisions; if they do not, the settlement must state that intention clearly and unequivocally. Exact drafting is vital. Broad jurisdiction wording in settlement or termination agreements can inadvertently override prior arbitral arrangements, particularly where claims, while referring to antecedent contracts, in truth arise from misrepresentation or other issues linked to the settlement...

You can access the minutes here: Online Procedure Rule Committee minutes for the meeting on 14 April 2025. Welcome, apologies and introductory remarks (item 1) The minutes of the 17 March 2025 meeting were approved subject to amendments, as detailed in News Analysis: Minutes of the Online Procedure Rule Committee meeting—17 March 2025. Ministry of Justice policy update (item 2) The OPRC received a briefing from the Ministry of Justice ( Mo J) on the spending review, confirming funding for the Digital Justice System Private Family Law ( PFL) programme for this year. It was recorded that Antonia Romeo, the departing Permanent Secretary, will be replaced on an interim basis by Amy Rees. Ministerial portfolios were also reallocated, with oversight of family justice shifting from Lord Ponsonby to Minister Sackman. The Master of the Rolls ( MR) reported on his recent visit to Bromley County Court with...

A regulatory regime with fines for a wider range of activities than the government has potentially considered could force Big Tech to take a more active approach to prevention, advocates for reform say. Doing so would mean strengthening the Online Safety Act 2023 ( OSA 2023), in effect from 17 March 2025, and bolstering it with additional laws. The Financial Conduct Authority ( FCA) is already pushing for harsher custodial terms for those promoting unauthorised online financial products. Yet regulatory lawyers contend that maximising expectations under the Act, which captures fraudulent advertising by Big Tech, alongside complementary legislation, would drive platforms to take firmer preventative steps themselves. Mark Williamson, a partner at Clyde & Co LLP, said the government should make clear to Big Tech that fraudulent advertising is treated as seriously as other online safety issues, by setting exacting standards and being willing to...

The IPO plans to introduce a two-hour time limit on hearings, promote mediation proceedings and modernise digital IP services to help to streamline services. However, practitioners argue the IPO must take additional steps to address acute delays, warning that slow action could imperil the UK’s standing as a beacon for soft IP disputes. Roland Mallinson, partner at Taylor Wessing LLP, cautioned that if the queue remains this lengthy, the UK risks forfeiting its reputation as a forum where inexpensive, rapid, fully reasoned and impartial rulings on IP disputes are available and can support resolution of wider geographic conflicts. The tribunal has been weighed down by a heavy caseload, especially after Brexit, when businesses filed a surge of applications to secure UK cover for their trade marks. That surge clogged the examination division, and matters deteriorated further when a wave of...

Private actions Court of Appeal dismisses appeal against CAT’s judgment on certification of collective damages action against cryptocurrency exchanges The Court of Appeal has delivered its judgments in BSV Claims Ltd v Bittylicious Ltd & Ors, determining an appeal pursued by BSV Claims Limited, the class representative ( CR), against the CAT’s judgment dated 26 July 2024. The appeal concerned the CR’s application to certify a collective damages action against multiple cryptocurrency exchanges, which the Court of Appeal ultimately dismissed. Background In July 2022, the CR submitted an application to the CAT for a collective proceedings order ( CPO) pursuant to section 47B of the Competition Act 1998, seeking approval for a proposed opt-out collective action to be brought against Bittylicious Limited, Payward Limited and Payward Inc ( Kraken), Shape Shift Global Limited, Shape Shift AG, and Binance Europe Services Limited ( Binance)...

Competition policy European Commission adopts proposals to sign EU- UK Competition Cooperation Agreement The European Commission (the Commission) has tabled proposals for Council decisions to sign and bring to a close the EU‑ UK Competition Cooperation Agreement (the Competition Cooperation Agreement). The EU‑ UK Trade and Co‑operation Agreement ( TCA) envisages a distinct accord on co‑operation and coordination between the Commission, the EU Member State national competition authorities ( NCAs) and the United Kingdom’s competition authority(ies), which may set out terms for sharing and using confidential information. A Council Decision in June 2023 authorised the Commission to launch negotiations with the UK, which duly started in spring 2024. On 29 October 2024, the Commission and the Department for Business and Trade ( DBT) confirmed that the technical talks on a competition co‑operation agreement between the EU and the UK have been...