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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 Sole traders, informal partnerships and outdated partnership deeds are common.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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Financial services developments FCA secures confiscation order against Andrew Currie The Financial Conduct Authority ( FCA) successfully obtained a confiscation order for £265,523 against Andrew Currie. Convicted in 2023, Currie received a custodial prison sentence of two years and six months for cheating investors through the failed peer-to-peer lending platform known as Collateral ( UK) Ltd. He misappropriated and diverted monies from Collateral investors for his own personal benefit, including the purchase of a property in Spain. At Southwark Crown Court on 9 January 2026, he was directed to pay £265,523.96, representing the total value of assets the court determined were still available to be recovered......
Overview The Mental Health Act 2025 represents a major reorientation of how compulsory mental health care is overseen in England and Wales. Although the reforms are not aimed at civil liability, they are expected to affect how claims involving psychiatric care are evaluated in practice and daily decision making. At the heart of the Act is a strengthened focus on patient autonomy, confining limits on a person’s liberty to only what is strictly necessary (commonly termed ‘ Least Restriction’), therapeutic benefit, and respect for the individual. These principles are designed to make sure that compulsory hospital admission and treatment are applied only where genuinely needed. Greater scrutiny of detention decisions The Act tightens the tests for compulsory detention, confirming that hospital admission should happen only where it is strictly necessary and where less restrictive alternatives are inadequate......
Mergers The Commission approved: the purchase conferring exclusive control over Swecon Baumaschinen Gmb H, Swecon Anläggningsmaskiner AB, and Entrack Sverige AB by Volvo Construction Equipment AB ( M.11952), following a phase I review—for more, see Midday Express the formation of a joint venture by Eni Lasmo Plc and PETRONAS Carigali International Ventures Sdn. Bhd......
Pre-action disclosure in probate claims and orders for costs ( Dahlman v Oxley & Palmers Solicitors) Dahlman v Oxley & another [2025] EWHC 2962 ( Ch) What are the practical implications of this case? This judgment operates as a practical guide for both Applicants and Respondents on managing pre-action disclosure requests in probate disputes. For Respondents, the message is straightforward: unjustified or unexplained delay in answering valid Larke v Nugus enquiries and producing the Will file creates a genuine risk of an adverse costs order on a pre-action disclosure application. For Applicants, consistency of approach in correspondence is emphasised. Proposed respondents must be clearly warned of the intended application and that costs will be pursued. If the position later shifts and it is suggested that, notwithstanding lateness, costs will not be sought if disclosure is provided voluntarily, that concession substantially weakens the...
Foreign Subsidies Regulation Commission publishes Foreign Subsidies Regulation Guidelines The Commission has unveiled the final edition of its much-anticipated guidance on applying selected provisions of Regulation 2022/2560 on foreign subsidies that distort the internal market (the Foreign Subsidies Regulation ( FSR))......
These regulations mark a major change in the retirement savings landscape and took effect on 1 January 2026. A key change is the establishment of fresh minimum employer and employee contribution thresholds for occupational pension schemes and personal retirement savings accounts ( PRSAs), which must be satisfied before an employee qualifies for exemption from automatic enrolment......
EU financial services developments ESMA publishes principles for risk-based supervision The European Securities and Markets Authority ( ESMA) has set out its principles for risk-based supervision, defining core concepts and foundational elements for use by ESMA and national competent authorities ( NCAs). These principles establish a structured method to identify, assess, prioritise and tackle risks, underpinning a supervisory approach that is consistent, proportionate and effective across the EU. ESMA emphasises that risk-based supervision anchors oversight of EU securities markets, enabling regulators to target the risks that most threaten investor protection, financial stability and orderly markets. It is also a flagship ESMA initiative supporting the simplification and burden reduction agenda by strengthening supervisory efficiency and value. Sources: Principles for risk-based supervision: a critical pillar for ESMA’s simplification and burden reduction efforts Principles on risk-based supervision EBA issues RTS on co-operation and colleges of...
Financial services developments UK Finance sets out industry proposals for Wave 2 c VRP UK Finance has released its industry blueprint for a commercial framework for Wave 2 commercial variable recurring payments (c VRP). It outlines the elements of the model, including the fee structure, both purchase protection options, and outcome scenarios, demonstrating how core assumptions affect the size of the transaction charge by linking inputs to outcomes throughout the model. Variable recurring payments are payment instructions that enable customers to securely link authorised payment providers to their bank account to make payments on their behalf within agreed limits; c VRPs look to build on this and support the facilitation of other payments. For example, a consumer could pay the exact amount of their electricity bill each month rather than a pre-nominated figure. UK Finance states that c VRPs are critical, viewed as a key use case for...
News Analysis: Construction law—a look at 2025 so far and ahead to the end of the year In June 2025, we released News Analysis: Construction law—a look at 2025 so far and ahead to the end of the year, where we examined the principal construction law trends that had arisen since January. In this subsequent piece, we reflect on the headlines, milestones and shifts from the closing months of 2025, and flag what we anticipate for 2026. The latter part of 2025 remained energetic. Planning and regulatory reform stayed centre stage as the government pressed on with the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, together with broader plans to cut delays and accelerate delivery of housing and infrastructure schemes. Concurrent developments in building safety, product oversight and standard form contracts contributed to a period of swift change. The courts likewise issued a sequence of...
Market Standards Trend Report— Trends in UK public M& A in 2025 What does the Market Standards Trend Report cover? Click here to download the full report in Shorthand format. The Market Standards Trend Report delivers a comprehensive review of the 56 firm offers, 58 possible offers and 15 announcements of formal sale processes and/or strategic reviews notified by Main Market and AIM companies governed by the Takeover Code (the Code) in 2025. It offers insight into public M& A trends and what we, alongside leading experts from Addleshaw Goddard, Ashurst, Bird & Bird, Hogan Lovells, Linklaters, Macfarlanes, Paul Weiss and White & Case, anticipate for 2026 and beyond. outlook for 2026 deal value and deal volume deal structure unrecommended and competing offers public to private ( P2P) transactions bidder...
What is critical about critical minerals? At the end of November 2025, the UK government unveiled its strategy on critical minerals, ‘ Vision 2035: Critical Minerals Strategy’. The Strategy sets out a long-term plan to secure access to minerals seen as essential for future economic development. The latest document follows an earlier version issued in 2022 and refreshed in 2023. This level of sustained strategic activity is a clear sign of the changing geopolitics of access to critical minerals and a growing political awareness of the UK’s vulnerability in securing them. There is no single, standard definition of a critical mineral ( CM), and the UK list of CMs differs from those of the EU and other jurisdictions. Whether a mineral is deemed critical may depend on both a country’s existing resource base and its future ambitions. Criticality will also be shaped by...
Sasof III ( A3) Aviation Ireland DAC, together with aircraft leasing manager Carlyle Aviation Management Ltd and UMB Bank NA, has struck a confidential settlement with insurers, as recorded in a High Court order dated 19 December 2025 that has only recently been disclosed. Settling defendants include German reinsurer Munich Rückversicherungs- Gesellschaft and Axis Specialty Europe SE’s Brussels and Belgian branch. In an amended claim filed in February 2024, Carlyle, Sasof and UMB pursued 24 reinsurers to recover about US$44m tied to a 2006 Airbus A330 leased to Russian carrier I- Fly. Insurers that did not participate in the settlement include Convex Insurance UK Ltd and Liberty Corporate Capital Ltd, alongside various syndicates and entities such as Arch Insurance ( UK) Ltd and Swiss Re International SE. The claim states......
Antitrust CMA publishes updated guidance on the Public Transport Ticketing Schemes Block Exemption The CMA has issued revised guidance on the Public Transport Ticketing Schemes Block Exemption ( PTTSBE), incorporating amendments made by the Competition Act 1998 ( Public Transport Ticketing Schemes Block Exemption) ( Amendment) Order 2025, following the CMA’s review and the Secretary of State’s approval of its recommendations. Background The PTTSBE provides an exemption for specified integrated ticketing schemes from the Chapter I prohibition in the Competition Act 1998. Extended in 2016 for a further ten years, it had been scheduled to expire on 28 February 2026. In January 2025, the CMA proposed removing the expiry date and widening the meaning of ‘connecting service’ to cover trunk bus services. Those changes were accepted in July 2025, and the CMA consulted on draft updated guidance during August– September 2025. Updated guidance The updated guidance confirms that the PTTSBE now...
2025 has been one of the busiest and most consequential years for UK environmental law since Brexit 2025 ranks among the most hectic and pivotal periods for UK environmental law post‑ Brexit, with climate policy, water quality and corporate sustainability disclosure shaping priorities. The climate regime has matured: domestically through the Supreme Court’s Finch ruling and the Law Society’s practice note on climate change, and internationally via the ICJ’s highly influential advisory opinion. Water regulation became the political fault line; the Water ( Special Measures) Act and the Office for Environmental Protection ( OEP)’s findings of systemic failure signalled the sternest stance yet on pollution. Waste and circular economy measures moved from discussion to enforcement, with extended producer responsibility ( EPR) for packaging in force, workplace recycling duties active, and digital waste tracking close. At the same time, biodiversity and planning reforms are...
In this issue: Key DR developments Claims and remedies Costs and funding Cross-border disputes Injunctions Enforcement Litigation Civil appeals Scottish Dispute Resolution New content Dates for your diary Useful information Daily and weekly news alerts Key DR developments Artificial intelligence The Law Society has submitted its response to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology’s call for evidence on the AI Growth Lab, advocating a proportionate regulatory model that encourages innovation whilst safeguarding professional standards. A press release dated 6 January 2026 points to the profession’s strong appetite for lawtech, with roughly two-thirds of lawyers reportedly already using AI tools in practice, yet notes persistent uncertainty around risks and the exact expectations for data security, oversight and liability. For further detail, see: The Law Society’s AI strategy and response to...
In this issue: Planning issues in energy projects Flood risk and development Buildings and Building Regulations Major infrastructure projects Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Related Documents Planning issues in energy projects National nuclear energy policy statement EN-7 comes into force The government has now implemented the National Policy Statement ( NPS) for nuclear power generation, EN-7. Taking effect on 18 December 2025, it establishes the principal policy basis for evaluating nationally significant nuclear fission proposals. EN-7 sits within the Planning Act 2008 regime for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects ( NSIPs) and will guide the secretary of state when determining development consent applications, read alongside the overarching energy policy statement, EN-1. This statement replaces EN-6, which applied to nuclear schemes anticipated to be deployable by the end of 2025. By removing that previous cut-off, EN-7...
In this issue: AI and IP Trade marks/passing off Patents Designs General IP Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information AI and IP Getty wins permission to appeal Stability AI copyright case Law360, London: On 16 December 2025, Getty Images Inc succeeded in its bid, in Getty Images ( US) Inc v Stability AI Ltd [2025] EWHC 3343 ( Ch), to reinstate part of its copyright infringement action against Stability AI Ltd. The High Court held the dispute presents a significant issue about generative models that warrants examination by the Court of Appeal. See: Getty wins permission to appeal Stability AI copyright case. Actors vote to refuse image, voice scans over AI fears Law360, London: Performers working in film and television across the UK have voted to decline digital scans on set,...
In this issue Education Planning Public procurement Social housing Children's social care Social care Governance Local government finance Licensing Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content New Q& As Education Court’s powers in appeals against teacher discipline orders ( Daniah v SSE) In Daniah v Secretary of State for Education, two appellants brought High Court challenges to teaching prohibition orders made under section 96 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 ( ESA 2008). They had previously been convicted of operating an independent educational institution without valid registration, contrary to ESA 2008, s 96(2). The High Court determined that the appeal regarding the prohibition orders was limited to a review of the decision to impose them, not a re-hearing. It further held that the appeal could not reopen the factual findings from the...
EU financial services developments ESAs publish guidelines on integrating ESG risks into stress testing The three European Supervisory Authorities (the European Banking Authority, the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority, and the European Securities and Markets Authority — ESAs) have issued joint guidelines to national insurance and banking supervisors on embedding environmental, social and governance ( ESG) risks within supervisory stress-testing exercises......
The Commissioners for His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs v Sintra Global, Inc and Parul Malde [2025] EWCA Civ 1661 What are the practical implications of this case? It is settled law that HMRC must substantiate any penalty it imposes. Yet the Court of Appeal in Sintra makes clear that this obligation does not extend to proving the correctness of the underlying tax charge. Consequently, the taxpayer carries the onus of showing the liability is mistaken, while HMRC remain responsible for the penalty’s tailored aspects, including culpability and quantification. The ruling matters most where only the penalty is appealed and there has been no prior determination of the core tax position. The Court of Appeal brings the burden of proof in penalty disputes into line with that which would have applied on an appeal against the substantive assessments themselves. This averts...
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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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