Legal News

In this issue: The Pensions Regulator Members and benefits Public sector pensions Daily and weekly news alerts Dates for your diary Trackers The Pensions Regulator TPR strengthens anti-fraud initiatives to combat pension scams In a new blog post, The Pensions Regulator ( TPR) details upgrades to its anti-scam work, prioritising richer intelligence gathering and closer cross-agency cooperation. Through the multi-million-pound Scam Smart campaign with the Financial Conduct Authority ( FCA), and creative moves such as the pension-scam storyline on BBC’s East Enders, TPR has warned millions of savers about scam risks. Its Pledge to combat pension scams has likewise raised industry expectations, with schemes covering millions of members committing to stronger prevention steps. In concert with partners, TPR’s anti-fraud efforts span prevention, disruption and sanctions, underpinned by stronger legislation, the dismantling of fraudulent business models, prosecution of...

In this issue: WTO Anti-dumping Customs Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content WTO WTO announces parties reach mutually agreed solution in trade dispute The World Trade Organization ( WTO) stated that the parties to a trade dispute informed the organisation on 17 January 2025 that they had reached a mutually agreed settlement. In line with Article 12.7 of the Dispute Settlement Understanding, the WTO panel released a report giving a concise account of the case and noting the settlement. These steps accord with established WTO dispute settlement practice, bringing the dispute to a successful close. See: LNB News 06/02/2025 57. WTO: China initiates dispute against US tariffs on Chinese goods The WTO has indicated that the PRC has requested consultations with the United States concerning additional tariffs levied on Chinese goods......

In this issue: Key developments and horizon scanning Residential property Environment, energy and buildings Property development Leasing property Property Insolvency Property in Wales Property in Scotland Property taxes Additional property updates this week Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers New Q& As Key developments and horizon scanning Right to manage provisions of LFRA 2024 in force 3 March The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 ( Commencement No 3) Regulations 2025, SI 2025/131, activate specified elements of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 ( LFRA 2024) on 3 March 2025. Under the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 ( CLRA 2002), leaseholders in blocks of flats can collectively assume control of building management from the landlord without buying the freehold. One hurdle has been the cap on...

A jury found that pension schemes and private investors identified by Denmark’s government as recipients of sham refunds were improperly enriched by US$78.7m in total. It apportioned 51% of responsibility to British trader Sanjay Shah and his hedge fund, Solo Capital Partners LLP, under the verdict. The outcome marks a decisive win for the Danish Customs and Tax Administration ( Skat) in the trial proceedings that opened on 7 January 2025. According to the Danish tax authority, investors and pension funds secured bogus repayments of withholding on share dividends by moving securities ownership across jurisdictions shortly before the dividend date......

Provision and motor commissions review The lender expects to recognise a provision in its 2025 half-year statement. The sum is intended to address potential operational and legal expenses, together with estimated remediation for customers who have been affected. Nevertheless, the merchant bank, which holds a main market listing on the London Stock Exchange, warned that there remains considerable uncertainty about the range of outcomes from the motor commissions appeals and the FCA's ongoing review of motor commissions, and as a result the eventual cost to the group could prove materially higher or lower......

The FRC stated a nearly 300-strong cohort of businesses subscribed to the code accounts for over £52trn of assets under management, comprising 199 asset managers, 77 asset owners and 21 service providers. The cohort, up from the 273 disclosed in February 2024, now counts pension insurer Rothesay and life insurance and retirement savings company Scottish Widows among its number, according to the announcement......

What are the practical implications of this case? The judgment has resulted in every claim brought by the claimants against the defendants in the English courts being stayed or dismissed. Those claims are likely to be out of time in the jurisdiction identified as the natural forum, which may prevent the claimants from advancing them at all. The ramifications are therefore considerable and far-reaching. Claimants are strongly urged not to postpone service of proceedings without solid justification. The mere possibility of a settlement is unlikely, on its own, to justify postponement. Equally, great care is needed when choosing the forum where multiple jurisdictional paths are available. That choice is often a complex legal and strategic exercise, particularly where, as here, the parties’ locations, the economic impact of the alleged claims, the governing law, and the whereabouts of witnesses and documents all point in...

The Public Accounts Committee, tasked with assessing whether government plans deliver value for money, said in a newly released report that crucial measures to deter evasion are missing. It warned that overseas traders can still falsely sign up as sellers established in Britain because of lax checks by HMRC and Companies House. The committee said the fresh powers given to Companies House—the official registrar of businesses—under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 ( ECCTA 2023) are a move in the right direction, but they will not be fully in place until the end of 2026. HMRC should make sure it works with Companies House and the Insolvency Service, the body tasked with tackling corporate abuse, to gauge how the level of fraud influences the tax gap. In the committee’s view, the slow roll-out and the absence of...

Mergers The CMA approved the expected takeover by Black Rock, Inc...

UK Finance, in a recent paper, urged the government to scale up investment to tackle economic crime and payment fraud, matching the magnitude of the threat. It argued that technology firms should shoulder part of prevention costs through a more transparent, accountable reimbursement framework and dedicated funding. To inform ministerial choices on allocating resources to financial services for 2026–2028, ahead of the spring budget, UK Finance outlined a set of recommendations. The aim, it said, is for public funding to unlock the sector's role as an engine of growth. ' We need the social media, technology, and telecommunications sectors to do far more alongside us to safeguard the public and society from fraud', the paper stated......

Sarabande v HMRC [2025] UKFTT 93 ( TC) SB, a registered charity, holds a long lease of a central London property (the Building). Suture Inc Ltd ( SIL), SB’s wholly owned subsidiary, is not VAT-registered. In 2018, SB opted for voluntary VAT registration and sought to recover £341,487.31 of VAT incurred on purchasing and refurbishing the Building. The project transformed what had been a warehouse-style area into art studios, gallery space and meeting rooms. SB’s objective was to create a venue to nurture an artists’ community, and it devised a structured support scheme for artists called the ‘ Accelerator Programme’. Through this programme, artists were offered curated, subsidised space, comprising studio and exhibition areas together with a bundle of benefits, including use of professional equipment, guidance from sector specialists and hands-on assistance from as well as advice from industry experts and practical support offered by SB...

In a report released on 6 February 2025, the Magic Circle firm set out ways to deploy AI in arbitration, spanning legal research, document review, drafting, and summarising, plus argument comparison, predictive analytics, transcription, and case management. Natalia Zibibbo, a lawyer at the firm, noted that AI-driven platforms are appearing that could transform legal workflows, and that, when applied thoughtfully, such tools can markedly boost efficiency in arbitration, delivering time and cost-saving gains that both arbitrators and counsel are keen to harness. At the same time, Freshfields urged restraint regarding security and transparency, calling for stronger oversight following the rise of generative AI and large language models, so as to head off risks such as hallucinations — AI presenting invented authorities and legal reasoning as facts......

Higgs v Farmor’s School and (1) the Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England, (2) the Free Speech Union Ltd others as interveners), the Association of Christian Teachers, (4) Sex Matters, (5) the Equality and Human Rights Commission (as interveners), [2025] EWCA Civ 109 What are the practical implications of this judgment? This significant ruling addresses the difficult issue of where to set the boundary between lawful and unlawful disciplinary measures by an employer when an employee’s manifestation of belief is viewed as objectionable by others. It is expected to affect several appeals pending before the EAT, for example Randall v Trent College Ltd ( EA-2023-000298- LA) and University of Bristol v Miller ( EA-2024-000324- NU) (see Practice Note: Case tracker— Employment). Delivering the principal judgment, Underhill LJ provides a detailed account of the governing principles, encompassing the rights to freedom of thought and freedom of...

El- Khouri v Government of the United States of America [2025] UKSC 3 Background This appeal stems from a request by the US to extradite El‑ Khouri, a dual British/ Lebanese citizen residing in the UK. The request essentially alleges insider dealing: that El‑ Khouri paid significant sums to an intermediary to obtain confidential inside information about proposed mergers and acquisitions involving companies quoted on US stock markets, and then traded in contracts for difference to profit from that information. The intermediary, who was likewise based outside the US, is said to have obtained the information from two analysts working in the London office of an investment bank. El‑ Khouri is alleged to have remunerated the intermediary in cash and benefits, including funding for a yacht in Greece, a chalet in France and, on two occasions, a hotel room in New York. It is further...

No less than £6.6bn of yearly compliance spending is directed to intermediaries such as agents, accountants and software developers, the NAO noted in its report. The view is that the total is understated because HMRC has not carried out any research, since 2015, into how much time companies commit to tax compliance, the office said on this......

See Q& A: When a law firm receives a data subject access request ( DSAR) from a third party in relation to a client matter, is there any legal constraint that stops the firm from telling the client that a DSAR exists under 6.4 of the SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors? It is important to separate the requirements of the SRA Standards and Regulations from your obligations under data protection law. SRA Standards and Regulations At its core, you must conduct yourself in a manner that sustains public trust and confidence in the solicitors’ profession, act with integrity, and act in the best interests of every client. You are also obliged to notify clients of all information material to their matter that you know about, unless one of four exceptions is engaged. See Practice Note: Duties of...

See Q& A: D died without a will, and his widow together with his two daughters executed a deed of variation establishing a discretionary trust. How should the trust be treated for both income tax and capital gains tax if, thereafter, the trustees later confer upon the widow a revocable life interest?......

Fitzgerald and another v HMRC [2025] UKFTT 89 ( TC) In 2020, the taxpayers acquired a property comprising a five-bedroom detached house, an annexe, a garage and a car port. The annexe contained its own kitchen, lounge, bedroom and bathroom. It also had a separate front entrance situated within the main house’s car port on-site. A lockable door from the annexe kitchen provided access into the principal house. The main house and the annexe shared electricity and gas meters and were billed under a single utility account, but they were separately rated for council tax purposes. The taxpayers sought MDR on the footing that the annexe was, in its own right, suitable for use as a single dwelling, distinct from the main house. HMRC rejected the claim and issued a closure notice to that effect. The taxpayers......

The executive order signed on 10 February 2025 puts a 'pause' on the federal Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ( FCPA), the signature anti-bribery law used to prosecute US and foreign companies for bribing overseas officials to win business abroad. Although this creates scope for the SFO and other cross-border white-collar bodies to fill the gap, the inclination to step in could be politically hazardous, said Dan Hudson, a partner at Seladore Legal. “ I suspect the SFO and enforcers in, for example, France and Germany might well feel they should scrutinise US-headquartered businesses, where their jurisdiction allows, if the US Department of Justice won’t take action,” Hudson noted. Yet he warned the move by Trump could be a “bear trap”, potentially putting the UK on a difficult footing with him early in his administration. “ It remains to be seen whether UK politics will come into...

Steel producers across the globe will once more be hit with a 25% tariff on exports to the United States, under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on 10 February 2025. The measures are slated to take effect on 12 March 2025, and no exemptions will be granted to the United States’ largest trading partners — Canada, Mexico and the EU — nor to any other country. At the White House, President Trump told reporters: ' It's a big deal. It's a big deal. This is the beginning of making America rich again'. The proclamation overturns duty‑free quota arrangements, exemptions and product exclusions afforded to overseas steel producers since 2018, when Trump first introduced a 25% import tariff during his initial term. Although the executive order sets 12 March 2025 as the start date, US media have reported a Trump...