44 results found

A landmark High Court ruling confirms that minority shareholders can pursue unfair prejudice claims under s994 Companies Act 2006 even when their losses mirror company losses, rejecting the reflective loss principle as a barrier. The decision provides crucial clarity on shareholder remedies when directors misappropriate company funds and establishes important precedent for structuring such claims.

New legislation effective 15 September 2026 allows licensed premises in the UK to accept digital proof of age for alcohol sales, modernising identity verification processes. Operators must navigate updated mandatory conditions, review existing premises licences, and consider staff training requirements before implementing digital age verification systems.

The Law Society's October 2026 foresight report examines how autonomous AI could fundamentally reshape England and Wales' justice system, warning that without proper digital infrastructure and governance frameworks, agentic AI risks compounding existing systemic failures rather than resolving them. With 94% of UK legal professionals now using AI tools regularly...

The FCA's latest review of money mule activity reveals that while firms are increasingly identifying and closing suspected mule accounts, criminal networks continue to exploit payment systems through sophisticated cash-out methods. Regulated firms must now shift focus from simple account closure to proactive network disruption, enhanced intelligence-sharing, and understanding how fraud proceeds move through interconnected payment chains.

This week's infrastructure planning update examines the Planning Inspectorate's revised advice following the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025, explores Ofgem's proposed reforms to manage the data centre grid connection queue, and recounts how a Harry Potter filming location influenced an electricity interconnector route in Pembrokeshire.

Airbus Operations Limited has paid over £6.4 million to HMRC in the highest compound settlement ever reached for strategic export control offences in the UK. The breaches, which AOL self-reported, involved failures to maintain proper records of controlled technology exports and transfers over a sustained period, highlighting the critical importance of robust export control compliance procedures for organizations operating internationally.

A UK court examines the boundaries of procurement evaluation, addressing when re-moderation is permissible, how evaluators must confine themselves to tender responses, and the critical importance of adhering to conflict of interest mitigation measures in public sector contracting.

The ASA's recent Jaded London ruling demonstrates that advertisers can breach CAP Code Rule 1.3 through lifestyle imagery and creative choices alone, even without express harmful claims. This analysis examines how the rule operates, what businesses need to consider when reviewing campaign materials, and why social responsibility assessments should extend beyond headline copy to encompass the entire creative execution.

The UK Secretary of State has approved the Beacon Fen Energy Park, a landmark solar development featuring 400MW of generation capacity and 600MW of battery storage—the largest battery component in any UK development consent order to date. This decision introduces significant precedents regarding best and most versatile agricultural land impacts, protective provisions for third-party infrastructure, and the evolving interpretation of associated development guidance in major energy projects.

The UK government has released a substantially revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that introduces significant changes for infrastructure development, including expanded definitions of renewable energy, more permissive approaches for essential infrastructure in Green Belts, and new strategic planning requirements. The framework now expressly includes nuclear power, hydrogen, and even heat recovery from data centres within its renewable energy definition, while clarifying that wider environment

When construction project correspondence refers to items being "agreed," does this create a legally binding contract variation? The Technology and Construction Court examined whether email exchanges...

The Planning Inspectorate's latest statistics reveal mixed progress on nationally significant infrastructure projects, with examination times improving but pre-application periods lengthening. A landmark High Court judgment clarifies how NPPF highway impact thresholds should be applied in planning decisions, while early interpretations of the revised NPPF demonstrate how exceptional circumstances tests are being used to approve countryside development despite character concerns.

Global supply chain disruptions from conflicts, extreme weather, and lithium battery fires are forcing businesses to confront complex contractual obligations. Understanding force majeure clauses and their strict requirements has become critical as parties struggle to claim relief or resist such claims, with the legal burden falling squarely on those seeking to invoke these provisions.

A UK court has ruled that contracting authorities cannot rely on self-created urgency to justify direct awards under the Procurement Act 2023, and that contract award notices must independently contain accurate justification information. The decision establishes that courts will scrutinize the factual basis of urgency claims and may treat inaccurate notices as if they were never published, potentially allowing contracts to be set aside even after voluntary standstill periods.

Telecoms operators face critical asset management challenges throughout the lifecycle of network sites, from securing Code Rights to managing upgrades, assignments, and eventual site exits. Understanding how the Electronic Communications Code interacts with contractual terms, planning requirements, and registration obligations is essential for minimizing disputes and maintaining productive relationships with landowners.

Telecoms operators rely on the Electronic Communications Code to secure rights over land, but landowners retain important powers that can affect network deployment and maintenance. Understanding the interplay between statutory protections, lease renewal regimes, and contractual relocation provisions is essential to managing risk and avoiding costly disputes over apparatus installation and removal.

The FCA has published its final report on the distribution of pure protection products, examining firms' fair value assessments under the Consumer Duty and PROD 4. The regulator found significant gaps in how insurers and intermediaries evidence their fair value conclusions, particularly around commission structures and guaranteed acceptance over 50s products, signaling that supervisory action will follow for firms with weak frameworks.

The UK government has formally responded to the Competition and Markets Authority's comprehensive review of the Subsidy Control Act 2022, accepting key recommendations for improvement. The response outlines planned changes to guidance, streamlined routes, and transparency measures, while the CMA's assessment reveals how the regime is functioning in practice and what challenges public authorities face in implementation.