Articles and Briefings

We recognise that some legal developments need to be understood in detail.

Our publications and briefings provide an in-depth analysis of commercial and legal developments, as they happen.

FAQs - extension to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

26 Nov 2020

On 31 October the Prime Minister announced that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (the Scheme) will be extended until December and the Chancellor announced on 5 November that it will be extended until 31 March 2021. This FAQ deals with the changes to the Scheme that apply from 1 November.

Navigating financial regulation in 2021

24 Nov 2020

Finally, the transition period will end on 31 December 2020, and, at the time of writing, negotiations between the UK and EU give no indication that they will be anything other than standard "third countries" to each other from 2021 – albeit third countries with very similar legislation.

GMP equalisation – transfers out

24 Nov 2020

Judgment in the supplementary Lloyds Bank case was handed down on 20 November 2020, providing some clarification as to the actions which must be taken by trustees of defined benefit pension schemes to address unequal guaranteed minimum pensions (GMP) where that GMP was transferred between occupational pension schemes.

Court finds no 'classic' bait and switch selling where there is no confusion

20 Nov 2020

'Bait and switch' selling is the act of marketing certain goods, but then substituting alternative goods when such goods are supplied. At its broadest, it is any attempt to get customers to accept something different from what originally attracted them. Such acts may be restrained if they are deemed to constitute an actionable misrepresentation.

UK Intellectual Property Office announces requirement for UK address for service

20 Nov 2020

Applicants for UK trade marks, designs and patents will be required to appoint a UK address for service going forward, according to a recent announcement by the UK Government.

Consenting electricity storage

18 Nov 2020

Electricity storage is a key technology in the transition to a smarter and more flexible energy system. It will play an important role in helping to reduce emissions to Net Zero by 2050.

Updated guidance on the extended furlough scheme – more questions than answers

16 Nov 2020

On 10 November HMRC published its updated guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, consisting of 12 documents. Eagerly awaited by employment lawyers - who hoped it would answer all our questions on how the extended scheme will work – it sadly raises yet more queries and fails to provide the certainty that employers so badly need right now in order to plan for the future.

The timely truth and the whole truth - the duty of candour

16 Nov 2020

On the 23 September 2020 the University Hospital Plymouth NHS Trust pleaded guilty at Plymouth Magistrates' Court to failing to comply with its duty of Candour in a prosecution brought by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). There had been several previous prosecutions against NHS Trusts for failing to comply with their duty of Candour however they ended in fixed penalty fines. This was the first prosecution to go to Court for sentence.

Planning for the Future - building back better?

11 Nov 2020

The Government's consultation on the "planning system of the future" closed on 29 October 2020. For a white paper, the consultation document contained a remarkable number of proposals for a reworked planning system for England. Many of the proposals are ambitious and would require primary legislation though some fundamental aspects of the system would remain.

Clarification on the use of planning conditions

09 Nov 2020

This case serves as a useful reminder that the power to impose conditions on the grant of planning permission is narrower than the power to enter into planning agreements or to accept planning obligations. It will be of interest to developers and authorities alike dealing with development and creation of new highway/s.

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