LexBlog (LexBlog United Kingdom)

On 12 October 2026, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published its multi-firm review of governance arrangements at benchmark administrators. Background The FCA sets out that the review forms the final stage of supervisory work arising from risks identified in the FCA’s 2024 benchmarks portfolio letter and follows its earlier reviews of data quality controls and...

Joel Patterson recently published Archival Permanence: The ISO Standard for Records Intended to Last — A Technical Note on Paper Permanence, Material Specification, and Household Document Production, 2026. Provided below is the Abstract: Whether a document survives is, at bottom, a question of chemistry rather than aspiration. Ordinary A4 copier paper — the sort in...

SC hearing 7-8 October 2026 This week, the UK Supreme Court heard argument in Farley v Paymaster on whether a claim for non-material damage under Article 82 of the GDPR must meet a threshold of seriousness before compensation can be recovered. Section 168(1) of the DPA 2018 provides that, for the purposes of Article 82,...

In response to feedback, the FCA has moved to a comply-or-explain model for all of the sustainability disclosure obligations. By Mark Austin CBE, Michael D. Green, Nicola Higgs, Betty M. Huber, Anne Mainwaring, James Bee, Toon Dictus, Charlotte Collins, and Johannes Poon Key Points: On 30 September 2026, the FCA published its final rules (PS26/19)...

On 8 October 2026, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published a blog on how strong compliance functions can support trusted corporate finance markets, this follows on from a survey the FCA had conducted, which it considers found encouraging practice across corporate finance firms but also opportunities for more compliance involvement and independent challenge. Summary The...

We're in England for the upcoming Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference, and instead of heading directly to London from Heathrow, thought it would be a good time to take a short diversion to nearby Runnymede for what must be the O.G. Property Rights Pilgrimage (those visits we do from time to time to the actual sites of well-known cases).

The use of blue light to reduce Campylobacter on chicken is a promising option but more trials are needed, according to findings from a study. Scientists from the University of Reading and the Animal and Plant Health Agency tested a technique called violet-blue photodynamic inactivation (VB-PDI) against 64 different strains of Campylobacter. Every strain was...

The UK Human Rights Blog is moving to Substack. From 19th October, all new articles will be published exclusively on our Substack, and no new content will appear on our current website. To stay up to date with our latest articles and insights, please subscribe here: https://substack.com/ukhumanrightsblog The following piece was also posted here on...

From 2030, master trusts and group personal pensions will generally need a main scale default arrangement holding at least £25 billion in assets under management to continue receiving automatic enrolment contributions. Our briefing explains how the new scale requirements are expected to work, the alternative pathways for schemes that do not initially meet the threshold...

Our podcast mini-series on ‘Crypto under the FCA’ examines the FCA’s highly anticipated policy statements published on June 30, 2026, which collectively shape the new regulatory regime for cryptoassets in the United Kingdom. In this episode we unpack the authorisation process — what firms need to know, where the pitfalls lie, and how the FCA is...

Welcome to the FinReg Monthly Update, a regular bulletin highlighting the latest developments in UK, EU and US financial services regulation. Key Developments in September 2026: United Kingdom General Financial Services – Cross Sector 25 September – FCA Handbook: The FCA has published Handbook Notice 144, which sets out changes to the FCA Handbook made...

On 8 October 2026, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published a consultation paper in relation to fair redemption terms for authorised funds investing in illiquid assets (CP26/35). Background The FCA sets out that it has worked with the International Organization of Securities Commissions and the Financial Stability Board to develop new international standards for managing...

The post UK Visa Application Fees 2026 appeared first on Richmond Chambers.

The idealism of the early days of the internet in the mid 90s, perfectly captured in John Perry Barlow’s Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace, gave way to concern and consternation as an increasingly lawless digital Wild West emerged over the coming years, with all the ills of social media and a wider attention economy...

Editor’s Note: Agents the Wikimedia Foundation believes OpenAI operates made unapproved sandbox edits, made citation-tool changes the Foundation believes were potentially malicious, tried without success to use a hosted Etherpad as a data proxy and sent heavy traffic that may have contributed to a May outage of the Wikidata Query Service. The Foundation found no...

In Gilbert & Anor v Broadoak Private Finance Ltd [2026] EWCA Civ 1172, the Court of Appeal confirmed that none of the three gateways the claimants relied upon permitted service out for a free-standing freezing order application brought to assist the enforcement of a judgment of the courts of England and Wales.

Introducing DealPoint: Banks M&A Bitesize, our new podcast series which takes a short, focused look at some of the legal and regulatory issues that can shape bank M&A transactions. In the first episode Jochen Vester, Counsel based in our Frankfurt office specialising in Financial Services Regulation, joins us and we ask “are bail-in clauses always...

On 7 October 2026, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) published Consultation Paper 13/26 – Updating regulatory thresholds: An autopilot approach (CP13/26). Background In CP13/26 the PRA proposes a transparent, rules-based framework that would automatically update in-scope regulatory thresholds every five years. In particular, the PRA proposes to: Alongside the consultation proposals, the...

On 1 October 2026, the time limit for bringing most claims in the Employment Tribunal increased from three months to six months. Although the reform does not alter the substance of employees’ employment rights, it represents an important change to the management of workplace disputes and the period for which employers remain exposed to potential...

Calls for a ‘Hillsborough Law’ and increased accountability of public servants have been voiced for many years.  However, despite a number of independent inquiries, investigations, two inquests, litigation and even draft legislation having been prepared almost a decade ago, progress towards a statutory duty has been slow. When Andy Burnham, then MP for Leigh, proposed...

This podcast mini-series on the ‘UK Asset Management Framework Reforms’ examines the FCA’s highly anticipated consultation papers published on July 14, 2026, setting out a proposed a package of reforms intended to tailor requirements more proportionately for asset managers. This podcast in the series focuses on further proposals in CP26/28, in particular the FCA’s discussion...

Workplace harassment laws are undergoing a massive global transformation, forcing employers to shift from reactive compliance to proactive prevention. In the United Kingdom, the Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA) introduces stringent new thresholds for employer liability. Meanwhile, Indian jurisprudence continues to expand its boundaries, dismantling traditional definitions of “workplace” and “emplo

The UK GDPR establishes a robust framework for the protection of personal data, requiring organisations to give due regard to individuals’ data protection rights. Importantly, it recognises that the consequences of a data breach may extend beyond financial loss. Article 82 UK GDPR, supplemented by section 168 of the Data Protection Act 2018, provides a...

October 2026 Background The convergence of insurance and private capital is no longer an emerging theme. In the US, the ‘Apollo playbook’ has become a blueprint for large-scale insurance-sector investment, whilst the UK bulk purchase annuity (BPA) market is being shaped by headline acquisitions of market incumbents: Athora completed its approximately £5.7 billion acquisition of...

Later this month [October], changes will come into force as part of the Employment Rights Act 2025. The reforms will include a new statutory right for independent trade unions to request access to workplaces. Access may be physical, digital, or a combination of both, and may be used to meet, represent, recruit or organise workers,...

The post Skilled Worker Salary Rules: Investing in Your Sponsor appeared first on Richmond Chambers.

On 5 October 2026, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published a speech delivered by Jon Relleen, director of infrastructure and exchanges, at the Reform of the UK Public and Private Capital Markets Summit 2026. Key points of note from the speech include:

Overview On 1 October 2026, the UK government announced a significant new package of 31 sanctions against Russia. The package comprises 23 new designations of individuals and entities and eight ship specifications, representing a further intensification of the UK’s economic pressure on Russia ahead of winter. The measures target revenue streams critical to sustaining Russia’s...

1 September to 30 September Introduction Financial services regulators treat anti-money laundering (AML) compliance as a priority. They are strengthening their supervisory frameworks, imposing significant penalties for systems and controls failures, and dealing with emerging risks linked to crypto-assets, beneficial ownership transparency and increasingly sophisticated cross-border financial...

The UK Human Rights Blog is moving to Substack. From 19th October, all new articles will be published exclusively on our Substack, and no new content will appear on our current website. To stay up to date with our latest articles and insights, please subscribe here: https://substack.com/ukhumanrightsblog In the news At the Labour Party conference,...