Autumn Statement Predictions 2016

The publication of Donna Ockenden's final report into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has reignited debate about whether a statutory public inquiry into maternity and neonatal services across England is needed. This article examines how such an inquiry could be designed to investigate rigorously while minimizing trauma to affected families, drawing on lessons from the Ockenden review's trauma-informed engagement methodology.

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.

With every new Prime Minister comes a recalibration of how Government is to be run. Given the number of political changes in recent years, we should now be used to bold statements at the beginning...

The UK's Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation has released its Annual Review for 2025-2026, revealing significant insights into licence application processing times, investigation trends, and enforcement activities.

Northern Ireland's Assembly has passed legislation establishing a Truth Recovery Public Inquiry into Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses operating between 1922 and 1995. The inquiry faces the complex challenge of building upon extensive prior research while navigating questions of scope, evidence handling, and balancing trauma-informed procedures with legal fairness requirements.

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 UK Government's decision to pause significant portions of its Local Government Reorganisation programme raises fundamental questions about the legal foundations and future direction of local government reform. With ministers withdrawing previous reorganisation decisions in four counties and pausing proposals in 14 additional areas following updated legal advice, the announcement signals potential challenges to the alignment between legal process and government policy that could reshape or even stall the

The UK Government's decision to establish the Greater Cambridge Development Corporation represents a critical test of institutional capacity to deliver growth in one of Britain's most powerful innovation economies. With Greater Cambridge facing severe constraints from housing costs, transport congestion, and infrastructure limitations despite strong local planning, this centrally-led Urban Development Corporation model aims to provide the stability, powers, and resources needed to coordinate complex infrast

Explore key UK and EU commercial law developments affecting businesses across AI governance, sustainability, consumer protection and industrial policy. This edition covers EU AI Act transparency requirements...

The September 2026 edition of HSF Kramer's NSIP newsletter is now available. This installment of the newsletter ushers in our new approach to covering the most interesting and topical events...

As organisations continue to navigate their responsibilities under the Building Safety Act, understanding competence, organisational capability and governance has never been more important. This video explores how expectations around competence have evolved since the introduction of the Building Safety Act and what organisations should be doing to meet their legal obligations, covering both individual and organisational competence requirements.

Employers that rely on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) to retain skilled temporary foreign workers (TFWs) via high-wage or low-wage stream Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) are facing a growing crisis.

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on September 15, 2026, that the federal government will open Canada’s four largest airports to private investment through long-term concession arrangements. Speaking at the inaugural investment summit, Prime Minister Carney outlined a vision to unlock new capital and operational expertise while retaining public ownership of the underlying land and assets.

Health Canada's recent enforcement action against unauthorized injectable peptides signals a regulatory shift that wellness companies cannot afford to ignore. While peptides dominate influencer marketing and online wellness spaces, their legal status in Canada depends on factors far more complex than social media trends suggest. Understanding how route of administration, therapeutic claims, and market authorization intersect is now critical for compliance.

Canadian data centre development is entering a critical phase as provincial governments introduce new frameworks for power allocation and pricing. With electricity access becoming increasingly competitive and conditional, developers face evolving regulatory landscapes in British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, and Québec that could fundamentally reshape project economics and timelines.

Canada's new Productivity Mega Deduction promises to slash the marginal effective tax rate on business investment to just 6.4%, positioning the country as the most competitive G7 nation for capital deployment. This permanent tax incentive extends immediate expensing to roughly 65% of capital assets, fundamentally reshaping the economics of investing in Canadian operations across manufacturing, energy, technology, and resource sectors.

The rapid expansion of data centre infrastructure has made these facilities a focal point for technological innovation and intellectual property investment. From server configurations to advanced cooling systems, the technologies deployed inside data centres represent significant R&D expenditure and competitive advantages. Patent protection offers operators and developers opportunities to safeguard innovations...

Todd Burke of Gowling WLG's International Board sits down with British High Commissioner Rob Tinline to explore the evolving Canada-UK partnership and the commercial opportunities emerging across priority sectors like quantum computing, naval shipbuilding, and nuclear energy. Their discussion examines how these two nations are working together to advance trade, embrace innovation, and reduce barriers to cross-border collaboration in an increasingly competitive global landscape.

A recent Ontario Court of Appeal decision provides important guidance for commercial lenders, borrowers, and guarantors on what happens when a loan is accelerated following default.

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership entered into force between Canada and the United Kingdom on September 1, 2026, fundamentally reshaping bilateral trade relations and investment frameworks. This development arrives as Canada actively diversifies away from U.S. trade dependence while the UK advances its post-Brexit global strategy, creating expanded market access for businesses on both sides of the Atlantic.