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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 Sole traders, informal partnerships and outdated partnership deeds are common.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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Mergers ABF/ Hovis merger referred to phase 2 under CMA’s fast-track procedure The CMA stated it has sent the expected purchase of Hovis Group Limited ( Hovis) by Associated British Foods plc ( ABF), via ABF Grain Products Limited, to phase 2, after the parties to the merger sought a fast-track process......
In this issue: Arbitration in England & Wales International arbitration Institutional and ad hoc arbitration Sector- and industry-specific arbitration Other arbitration and ADR-related news and developments Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Useful information Arbitration in England & Wales Diverging paths? English courts restrict assignment of ICSID awards in contrast to other major enforcement venues On 10 November 2025, the High Court of England and Wales issued a notable ruling in Opera Fund Eco- Invest & Schwab Holding v Spain [2025] EWHC 2874 ( Comm), determining that an ICSID award made under the Energy Charter Treaty ( ECT) is not capable of assignment to third parties. This new approach to assignability may add further complexity to the enforcement of ICSID awards in England—a forum that has been receptive to ICSID enforcement (including proceedings against Spain)—and could influence the secondary market for investing in the recovery of arbitral awards. In this news...
In this issue: Medical devices Post-market Commercialisation Intellectual property Advertising of medicines Research and development Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers Useful information Medical devices Digital omnibus on AI regulation—considerations for Life Sciences companies The European Commission has issued its Digital Omnibus on AI Regulation Proposal, a law-making initiative introducing focused measures to support effective practical roll-out of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (‘ AI Act’). Hélène Boland and Fabien Roy at Hogan Lovells outline key points for life sciences businesses in this piece. See News Analysis: Digital omnibus on AI regulation—considerations for Life Sciences companies. Medical devices to get softer AI compliance regime, European Commission proposes MLex: Under a European Commission plan, medical device makers would face lighter compliance with the EU AI Act’s high‑risk framework. As part of wider revisions to medical device rules, it addresses long‑standing sector concerns and, if endorsed by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, would...
In this issue: New technologies Information technology Internet Data protection Media Advertising, marketing and sponsorship Telecommunications Lex Talk®TMT: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information New technologies Automated Vehicles Act 2024 ( Commencement No 1) Regulations 2025 SI 2025/1339: These Regulations bring specified parts and provisions of the Automated Vehicles Act 2024 ( AVA 2024) into force on 1 January 2026. See: LNB News 18/12/2025 18. Ofcom sets out how AI chatbots are overseen under the UK Online Safety Act: Ofcom has released a guide on the application of the Online Safety Act 2023 ( OSA 2023) to AI chatbots, detailing when chatbot service providers must evaluate and mitigate risks to users, with particular focus on...
Digital Markets Act Commission publishes summary and responses to the consultation on the ongoing review of the Digital Markets Act The Commission has issued a synopsis of the feedback and the individual contributions received to its consultation on the ongoing review of the Digital Markets Act ( DMA), also making available an overview and entries submitted. This consultation is part of the Commission’s requirement to complete its first formal appraisal of the DMA by 3 May 2026, with further assessments every three years. The process began in July 2025 and was complemented by a specific call for input on AI in August 2025, and it sought evidence regarding the DMA’s initial impact and day‑to‑day functioning, drawing on input from July and August exercises......
In this issue: Key developments Air emissions and climate change Energy efficiency and buildings Energy for environmental lawyers Environmental disputes and proceedings Environmental enforcement and prosecutions Environmental information ESG and sustainability Hazardous substances and chemicals Nature, biodiversity and habitat protection Waste Waste producer responsibility regimes Water, flooding and drainage New and updated content Key developments Environmental Improvement Plan New Environmental Improvement Plan: the Government have published a fresh Environmental Improvement Plan ( EIP) under the Environment Act 2021 ( EA 2021). This iteration is intended to tackle the weaknesses of the 2023 EIP, yet uncertainty lingers over whether the pace is adequate, whether the route to delivery is sufficiently defined, and whether the resources required to deliver it are in place. Authored by Clare Parry, barrister at Cornerstone...
In this issue: SAYE Tax treatment Corporate governance Useful Information Dates for your diary Weekly highlights from other practice areas SAYE Change in bonus rates for Save As You Earn ( SAYE) share option schemes HMRC has confirmed updates to the bonus rates and the early leaver rate for Save As You Earn ( SAYE) schemes, which will apply to new invitations issued from 2 January 2026. This follows HMRC’s 2023 introduction of an automatic bonus rate mechanism for SAYE, set by reference to the Bank of England base rate (see: Share Incentives weekly highlights—1 June 2023— SAYE Schemes). After the Bank of England announced a change to its base rate, HMRC has stated that the revised SAYE rates are: three-year SAYE savings contract bonus rate: 0.4 multiplied by one monthly contribution five-year SAYE savings contract bonus rate: 1.1...
In this issue: Building safety Adjudication Contract law Litigation Tax for construction lawyers Construction industry news Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Building safety Higher-risk buildings—new regulations for Wales The Building ( Higher- Risk Buildings Procedures) ( Wales) Regulations 2025, SI 2025/1321 (the HRB Regulations) establish the detailed procedural framework for the planning, delivery and sign-off of higher-risk buildings ( HRBs) in Wales. They give effect in Wales to the HRB scheme set out in Part 3 of the Building Safety Act 2022 ( BSA 2022), tailored to the Welsh building control regime. This piece outlines, in practical terms, what the HRB Regulations introduce: the mandatory gateway approvals, strengthened information and declaration duties, controls over design and build alterations, and bans on commencing works or occupying an HRB without the requisite regulatory consent. It explains how the HRB Regulations function, who is bound by them, the stages at which they apply, and the...
We outline the FCA’s key messages from 2025, alongside predictions and practical tips to help you stay on the right side of the FCA in 2026. Fewer, faster investigations A refreshed stance on enforcement has been anticipated since Therese Chambers and Steve Smart assumed leadership of the FCA’s enforcement division in 2023, and the June 2025 update to the FCA Enforcement Guide made it official. The policy statement released with the revised guide confirmed that the FCA has raised the threshold, effectively raising the bar, for commencing an investigation and bolstered its pre-investigation assessment procedures. Addressing the City & Financial Global FCA Investigations and Enforcement Summit in October 2025, Therese Chambers, the FCA’s Joint Executive Director of Enforcement and Market Oversight, underscored the point, stating the FCA is running fewer investigations, at a faster pace. This reflects a 2025 objective to shrink the open caseload and bring...
In this edition: Data protection Cybersecurity Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Data protection Commission renews UK adequacy decisions for EEA– UK personal data transfers The European Commission has renewed its pair of 2021 adequacy decisions, enabling the free and secure movement of personal data between the European Economic Area ( EEA) and the UK under the General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR) and the Law Enforcement Directive. This renewal follows a six-month technical extension adopted in June 2025, which allowed the Commission to evaluate amendments to the UK’s data protection framework introduced by the Data ( Use and Access) Act 2025 ( DUAA 2025). The decisions were finalised after a favourable opinion from the European Data Protection Board and approval by Member States through the comitology procedure......
In this issue: EU fundamentals Competition and state aid Commercial Data protection and cybersecurity Free movement, immigration and employment Financial services Energy Environment IP Life sciences Regulatory TMT Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers EU fundamentals EU institutions sign Joint Declaration on legislative priorities for 2026 The Presidents of the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission have put their signatures to a Joint Declaration that defines the Union’s law‑making priorities for 2026. It sets out ten headline themes, spanning actions to enhance competitiveness and resilience, drive regulatory simplification, bolster defence and security, protect democratic processes, manage migration, and push forward talks on the forthcoming Multiannual Financial Framework. The institutions agree to give these files precedence throughout 2026 and to review progress...
In this issue: Employment Rights Act 2025 Pensions Protected characteristics Prohibited conduct Maternity, parents and carers Redundancy Employment Tribunals Dates for your diary Trackers Employment resources on Lexis+® Lex Talk®Employment: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts Employment Law—looking back at 2025 and ahead to 2026 The Lexis+® Employment team have assembled a round-up of the standout employment law developments across 2025, alongside a preview of priorities for 2026, including anticipated movement on the Employment Rights Act 2025 ( ERA 2025), the Equality ( Race and Disability) Bill, plus forthcoming legislation and notable cases. It also flags themes to watch and highlights items expected to shape practice in the year ahead. See News Analysis: Employment Law—looking back at 2025 and ahead to 2026. Employment Rights Act 2025—what is changing, and when? The...
What were the key developments in 2025 Employment Rights Act 2025 The Employment Rights Act 2025 ( ERA 2025) at last obtained Royal Assent on 18 December 2025. For further detail, see News analysis: Employment Rights Act 2025—what is changing, and when? and Law360: ' Alarm bells ringing' over Employment Rights Act 2025 enforcement. Non-disclosure agreements From 1 August 2025, section A1 of the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 took effect, placing an obligation on the governing bodies of higher education providers not to enter into a non-disclosure agreement ( NDA) with an individual member of staff (or a member or student of the provider, or a visiting speaker) where a complaint has been made by them to the provider concerning misconduct or alleged misconduct by any person (‘misconduct’ encompassing bullying, harassment or sexual abuse)......
Financial services developments FCA fines former Carillion finance directors for misleading market disclosures The Financial Conduct Authority ( FCA) has issued Final Notices imposing financial sanctions on Richard Adam and Zafar Khan, former group finance directors of Carillion plc, for being knowingly involved in the company’s publication of misleading information to the market. The action concerns Carillion’s trading update released in December 2016, ahead of the company’s profit warning in July 2017 and its subsequent liquidation. In a Final Notice dated 7 January 2026, the FCA fined Adam £232,800 for being knowingly concerned in Carillion’s breaches of the following requirements: Article 15 of the Market Abuse Regulation ( EU) No 596/2014 ( MAR) (prohibiting market manipulation) Listing Rule 1.3.3R (misleading information must not be published) Listing Principle 1 (procedures, systems and controls) Premium Listing Principle 2 (acting with...
What was the background? The Trustee is a trust company incorporated in Jersey, and the Settlor, B, is a national of Country D who has never been UK resident or domiciled. The F Trust is a Jersey discretionary settlement created on 30 March 2017 to hold a high‑value London property already owned by the Settlor, with seven adult beneficiaries (besides the Settlor herself as a beneficiary). The structure was put in place on the advice of English solicitors ( HL) as a tax planning step, with the express aim of limiting the Settlor’s liability to UK inheritance tax ( IHT) before new rules commenced on 6 April 2017. Before the trust was set up, the Property was owned via a chain of British Virgin Islands companies, with the Settlor as the ultimate beneficial owner, and the shares in those entities were treated as...
See Q& A: Where (i) an individual A dies having named B as the sole executor, (ii) B proves the Will, obtaining a grant of probate, and then dies without yet fully completing the administration of A's estate, (iii) B leaves a Will appointing executors C, D and E, and (iv) C dies after the grant of probate has been duly issued to C, D and E in B's estate, who is entitled to finalise the administration of A's estate?......
Deity Shoes, SL v Mundorama Confort, S., Stay Design, SL, Case C‑323/24 What are the practical implications of this case? The Court of Justice’s ruling brings helpful certainty for businesses and practitioners in the design law sphere. EU design protection does not hinge on originality. Fashion trends do not curtail the designer’s freedom in a manner that lowers the protection threshold. The doctrine of inverse proportionality applies solely where genuine (ie, technical) constraints are present. Products assembled from existing components or supplier catalogues can be protected if the resulting design is new and leaves a different overall impression on the informed user. No need exists to show a creative leap or copyright‑style originality. A reduced threshold for individual character arises only where real constraints are established. In fashion‑led sectors, trends do not count as limiting factors, so the bar for...
Antitrust The CAT released a non-confidential public version of its judgment (dated 24 November 2025) in CMA v Another, allowing the CMA’s request for a warrant to enter and search domestic premises under section 28A(1)(b) of the Competition Act 1998—see further, judgment NOTE— For all behavioural investigations before the CMA, see the UK behavioural investigations—ongoing cases tracker for details Upcoming dates— For forthcoming UK competition developments and key dates, see the UK Competition calendar......
On Wednesday 3 December, the Advertising Standards Authority ( ASA) released three compelling rulings concerning fashion advertising. They arrive in the wake of the Competition and Markets Authority ( CMA) probes into ASOS, Boo Hoo and George at Asda (see: LNB News 29/07/2022 38) and the regulator’s later guidance on environmental claims for fashion (see News Analysis: Updated CAP guidance—the environment—misleading claims and social responsibility in advertising). The latest ASA outcomes illustrate the self-regulatory body backing the statutory regulator by ‘seamlessly’ carrying its policy across the fashion sector. Moreover, this trio shows the ASA deploying its much-vaunted Active Ad Monitoring system to concentrate resources on issues it judges significant, rather than simply dancing to the tune of competitors, the media or special interest groups. This piece is by Brinsley Dresden, partner and co-head of advertising and marketing at Lewis Silkin LLP. For further detail on...
Kingdom of Spain v Blasket Renewable Investments LLC et al The US Supreme Court is poised in 2026 to decide whether to revisit the DC Circuit’s August 2024 ruling, which opened the door to enforcing roughly US$419m in arbitral awards in favour of renewable energy investors against Spain. In October 2025, the justices signalled interest, asking US Solicitor General D John Sauer to submit a brief setting out the Trump administration’s views. In the decision at issue, the DC Circuit concluded that the awards to US-based Next Era Energy Inc and Luxembourg-based 9REN Holding SARL—€290m and €41m, respectively—are enforceable even though they are treated as invalid under EU law. The decision also related to a €26.5m award to AES Solar Energy Coöperatief UA and Ampere Equity Fund BV that was later assigned to Blasket Renewable Investments LLC. Spain contends before the Supreme Court that a split...
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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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