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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 Sole traders, informal partnerships and outdated partnership deeds are common.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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In this issue: Key developments UK immigration control: how it works Sponsored Work Challenging immigration decisions and enforcement Daily and weekly news alerts International New and updated content New Q& As Key developments Future developments— Immigration calendar Note that our Immigration calendar sets out key forthcoming developments relevant to business immigration advisers. Immigration cases 2023— July to December review Adam Pipe, barrister at No 8 Chambers, surveys the standout judgments from July to December 2023 for immigration advisers, highlighting their significance. The roundup spans EU Settlement Scheme durable partners, procedural fairness across contexts, Article 8 issues, long residence, the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Rwanda policy, the GDPR immigration exemption, the standard of proof in protection claims, another successful challenge to the No recourse to public funds policy, and a selection of Upper Tribunal...
In this issue: Key developments Status and worker categories Pay Tax Unfair dismissal Settlement Employment Tribunals Immigration Northern Irish materials Daily and weekly news alerts Dates for your diary Trackers Key developments UKSC Deputy President gives speech on the law and AI On 30 November 2023, Lord Hodge, Deputy President of the Supreme Court, delivered an address at De Montfort University, Leicester on the law and artificial intelligence ( AI). He underlined the need to refresh legal rules to recognise and regulate emerging technologies, and pointed to the chances these innovations offer to strengthen both the legal system and the justice system. See: LNB News 03/01/2024 44. Employment Law: Looking ahead to 2024—video analysis In this video, Tony Gould, Professional Support Lawyer within the Lexis Nexis Employment team, previews employment legislation scheduled to come into force in the...
In this issue: Sustainable finance and ESG round–up UK and international sanctions Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 Registered Office Address ( Rectification of Register) Regulations 2024 Service Address ( Rectification of Register) Regulations 2024 Principal Office Address ( Rectification of Register) Regulations 2024 Finance Bill Lending Secondary trading Security over land Intercreditor Sustainable finance Debt capital markets Derivatives Structured products and securitisation Fintech Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Useful information Sustainable finance and ESG round–up Sustainable finance and ESG weekly round–up For a summary of this week’s Sustainable finance and ESG developments, refer to: Sustainable finance and ESG weekly round-up—11 January 2024. UK and international sanctions DBT updates guidance on compliance with sanctions related to Russia The Department for Business and Trade ( DBT),...
In this issue: Transferring property Property management Residential property Environment, energy and buildings Agricultural property Property in Scotland Property taxes Additional property updates this week Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers Transferring property The Law Society’s new draft Code for signing and exchanging property contracts 2024 The Law Society is inviting conveyancers to comment on a fresh draft code covering the signing and exchange of property contracts. We review the proposals in detail. Refer to News Analysis: The Law Society’s new draft Code for signing and exchanging property contracts 2024. Consultation on transparency of ownership of land held on trust The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Department for Business and Trade, HM Treasury, and HMRC have opened a consultation aimed at improving transparency around land ownership where trusts are...
In this issue: Public Law case law quarterly Brexit SIs Post- Brexit transition guidance Constitutional and administrative law State accountability and liability Information law Subsidy control and State aid Daily and weekly news alerts Dates for your diary Trackers New and updated content New Q& As Useful information Public Law case law quarterly Public Law case law quarterly— Q4 2023 The Public Law case law quarterly sets out curated summaries and analysis of significant judgments prepared by the Public Law team each quarter. Standouts in this Q4 2023 issue include the Supreme Court ruling on the government’s ‘ Rwanda policy’, a Court of Justice decision linked to the Windsor Framework, a pivotal judgment concerning the Scottish devolution settlement, and judicial review matters addressing redaction and mandatory orders. See News Analysis: Public Law case law...
In this issue: Arbitration in England & Wales International arbitration Institutional and ad hoc arbitration Other ADR and arbitration-related developments Daily and weekly news alerts Arbitration in England & Wales Court of Appeal— Venezuela—insurers unable to block claims A London appellate court on 20 December 2023 declined insurers’ bid to stop Venezuela from advancing €425m claims in foreign courts, notwithstanding arbitration provisions stipulating disputes be resolved in Britain. See News Analysis: Insurers can’t block €425m Venezuela claims made overseas... Commercial Court—conflict of laws—anti-suit injunction In The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd v Sunlink Energies and Resources Ltd [2023] EWHC 3135 ( Comm), the Commercial Court issued a final anti‑suit injunction for Shell against Sunlink, restraining Nigerian proceedings started contrary to an ICC arbitration clause specifying London as the seat. To ascertain the law governing that clause, Mr Justice Baker followed the...
In a warning notice dated 8 January 2024, the FCA stated that an unnamed pensions transfer specialist acted recklessly by urging customers to move their defined benefit pension schemes into alternative arrangements during the period 2015 to 2019. The regulator did not identify his firm nor disclose how many clients received his advice. The number of customers affected was also not disclosed. The adviser, who also performed director and compliance oversight duties, failed to collect adequate information about customers’ financial circumstances before providing those recommendations, the watchdog said. He or she also neglected to evaluate clients’ attitudes to investment and transfer risk......
The case stems from a dispute between three pharmacists Dr Hermann Vogel has brought a claim against pharmacists Holger Neubert and Michael Spiegel regarding their sale of pharmacy‑only medicines on Amazon Marketplace. Since 2017, the defendants have offered non‑prescription, pharmacy‑only products via that platform. These remedies, such as treatments for eye infections, do not require a prescription; however, they are not placed on open shelves and the dispensing pharmacist must provide advice on proper use. Alongside asking whether competitors may sue under the EU GDPR, Germany’s Federal Court of Justice has queried if order data from online purchases of pharmacy‑only medicines amounts to health data within Article 9 of the EU GDPR. In an earlier matter involving Meta Platforms, the Court of Justice confirmed that an association can bring GDPR actions, yet the EU GDPR contains no provisions enabling...
See Q& A: What issues arise out of the fact that the surviving spouse who is also the sole executor seeks to brings a pre-grant claim for financial provision under the Inheritance ( Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975? Who do they sue? Family provision claims under the Inheritance ( Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 ( I( PFD) A 1975) are governed by CPR 57. Under CPR 57.16, proceedings must be started in accordance with CPR 8, subject to the modifications in sub-sections 3–5. Neither I( PFD) A 1975, CPR 8 nor CPR 57 specifies who must be named as defendants. In practice, the proper defendants are the deceased’s personal representatives ( PRs) together with all beneficiaries who have an interest in the estate. Accordingly, the claim is brought against the PRs and those...
Questions from parliamentarians surfaced today after the UK’s Ofcom received a notably short roster of foreign counterparts for co‑operation formally announced under the new OSA 2023. Ministers offered assurances that additional nations will follow, and that such arrangements will lessen the burden for supervisors and those they regulate alike. The draft Online Safety ( List of Overseas Regulators) Regulations 2024 would expand Ofcom’s international co‑operation powers, enabling continuation within the framework of the Act. It authorises the regulator to share online safety information with overseas peers to support oversight online and assist criminal investigation efforts. However, the recognised equivalents presently comprise authorities from France, the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland and Australia, plus the European Commission, which is now assuming a direct online safety role via Regulation ( EU) 2022/2065, the EU Digital Services Act too......
Re Hall Media Group Ltd [2023] EWHC 3110 ( Ch), [2023] All ER ( D) 58 ( Dec) What are the practical implications of this case? When resisting a debt, the court must be given sufficient detail to show any challenge is real and weighty. As explained at [33], where the respondent cannot quantify the claim relied on for set-off or cross-claim, the disputed sum may not evidence an inability to meet debts as they fall due. The figure is indeterminate and must be assessed before any net balance is payable, and that stance may then require other proof about solvency or capacity to pay. What was the background? Hall Media Group ( HMG) agreed to pay the British Film Institute a £200,000 sponsorship fee plus £40,000 VAT under an agreement labelled ‘ Partnership Agreement’, which in substance was only a one‑year sponsorship...
The Burke Partnership v The Body Shop International Ltd [2023] EWHC 2897 ( Ch) Franchise contracts are commonly set for the medium to long term, often include renewal provisions, and, at the outset of a new relationship, both sides frequently avoid hard bargaining over termination and exit mechanics. Yet a franchisor’s ability to disengage from a lengthy arrangement when a franchisee no longer aligns with its operating model warrants close consideration. The English High Court recently considered whether cosmetics retailer The Body Shop could, in the absence of express termination clauses, bring long-standing franchise agreements to an end on reasonable notice after roughly forty years. The judgment may make uncomfortable reading for franchisors, who could find their room for manoeuvre more limited than anticipated... The background and the dispute In 1980 and 1981, Body Shop International, acting as franchisor ( Body Shop), and The Burke...
Private prosecutions On 9 January 2024, work and pensions secretary Mel Stride told Sky News that the government is examining the use of private prosecutions. He emphasised that any business can bring such a case and that this is not 'a special dispensation' for the Post Office. At the same time, he noted that ministers are considering whether it is 'appropriate' for public or publicly owned bodies to hold that power. ' We will have to wait a bit longer to see what the conclusions of those deliberations are, but it is something that we are looking at', Stride said. The minister was not immediately available for further comment. Calls to overhaul the rules are mounting after a television dramatisation rekindled anger over the Post Office’s wrongful prosecutions, which relied on faulty IT data. The ITV mini-series, ' Mr. Bates vs the Post Office', is a...
Malaysia confirmed that Stampa was convicted on 8 January 2024 by a Madrid court in criminal proceedings brought by the Spanish Public Prosecution Office and Malaysia. He was handed a six-month prison term, which has been suspended, and he is not expected to serve any time in custody. The charges arose from Stampa’s decision to continue acting as sole arbitrator in the dispute involving the Sulu claimants even after the Spanish courts set aside his appointment in 2021 over a service of process issue. He subsequently transferred the arbitration from Madrid to Paris and issued the award against Malaysia in early 2022. The 8 January 2024 conviction represents another stage in the increasingly contentious and high-profile dispute, which relates to an 1878 land agreement covering a portion of territory along the North Coast of Borneo in what is now Sabah, Malaysia. The area is noted for its...
The European Banking Authority ( EBA) has issued final draft regulatory technical standards ( RTS) and final draft implementing technical standards ( ITS) on how supervisory colleges operate under the Capital Requirements Directive ( CRD). Adopted in 2015, these standards have now been revised to fully reflect the new requirements laid down......
Compre Group Holdings Ltd withheld the sellers’ identities, noting only that the companies are its clients and international insurance groups. The legacy insurance group placed reinsurance on the two portfolios through its own reinsurance subsidiary, Pallas Reinsurance Co Ltd. The relevant regulators in Europe and Bermuda, where Compre is headquartered, cleared the transaction. The company also chose not to reveal counsel details for the deal. Simon Hawkins, Compre’s European chief executive, said the business collaborated closely with......
Realreed Ltd v HMRC [2023] UKFTT 1042 ( TC) Realreed Ltd ( Realreed) owned a building called Chelsea Cloisters. The site comprised 656 self-contained flats. The dispute centred on the VAT position of 235 of those units that were not let on long leases. Under VATA 1994, s 31, a supply of goods or services is exempt where it falls within a description listed in Schedule 9. VATA 1994, Sch 9, Group 1, Item 1 ( Land) covers ‘the grant of any interest in or right over land or of any licence to occupy land, or, in relation to land in Scotland, any personal right to call for or be granted any such interest or right’, subject to specified carve-outs. The carve-out at Item 1(d) relates to ‘the provision in an hotel, inn, boarding house or similar establishment of sleeping...
Although storms across North America and Europe proved more damaging than ever, there were no mega-disasters to push last year’s losses higher, according to Munich Re Group. The company noted that insured losses overall slipped beneath the five-year norm of US$105bn. The German reinsurer compiles information from government bodies, scientific institutions, trade associations, the insurance sector, the media, and other publicly accessible sources to assess the bill for natural catastrophes in aggregate and for insurers. ' The year 2023 was, once more, marked by exceptionally high insured losses from natural disasters, despite there being no extreme individual events,' said Thomas Blunck, a member of the board at Munich Re Group......
On 19 December 2023, the government issued its long‑awaited reply to the consultation on national planning policy reform alongside the updated NPPF, confirming that the changes answer concerns raised by locally elected members about weaknesses in the planning system. The update offers firmer Green Belt protections, clearer guidance on assessing future housing supply in plans, certainty that urban authorities must play their full role in meeting housing need, and safeguards for the character of valued neighbourhoods by preserving the gentle density of suburbs and ensuring family homes remain for the next generation. Taken with other provisions in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, the revisions cement the importance of beauty in new development, enable better infrastructure delivery, respect the democratic voice of local communities, secure improvements to the natural environment and create quality new...
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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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