The UK Covid-19 Inquiry (“the Inquiry”) opened its third Module on 8 November 2022, along with the application process for Core Participant (“CP”) status. Module 3 will consider the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the healthcare sector in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland ...
While originally opened to great fanfare between 2017 and 2019, over the course of 2022 Shell has discreetly closed down all of its UK hydrogen filling stations, citing that "the prototype technology had reached the end of its life". This decision is perhaps not surprising, given the low volume of domestic fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) on UK roads ...
With all the changes to the world of work that we have recently experienced and are continuing to experience, our webinar programme this year is focused on the future of work and in particular the hot topics that HR teams are having to handle now in order to future-proof their organisations. Our latest seminar focused on menopause in the workplace ...
Shoosmiths’ head of energy and infrastructure (E&I) sector, James Wood-Robertson, details and reacts to the much-anticipated E&I developments and proposals set out in the UK government’s 2022 Autumn Statement ...
According to a recent Employment Appeal Tribunal decision, an employee cannot settle future statutory claims that have not arisen at the date of the settlement agreement. We review what this means in practice for parties entering into such agreements. In order for a settlement agreement to be valid, it must comply with the necessary statutory requirements ...
Recent months have seen a flurry of developments globally towards the regulation of Artificial Intelligence. Government bodies in the US, UK and EU have released proposals and updates around regulating AI, with each approach showing important distinctions ...
Blockchain litigation lead, Matt Green will be hosting our latest podcast series, 'In Early - The Crypto Podcast' - Listen to episode 3. During this five-part series, Matt will be speaking to special guests at the forefront of the digital asset space, telling real life stories, discussing the growth and growing pains of the industry, and exploring how blockchain technology has made an impact on people’s lives ...
The High Court has handed down three new judgments on BI insurance claims resulting from Covid-19: Stonegate Pub Co Ltd v MS Amlin Corporate Member Ltd [2022] EWHC 2548 (Comm), Various Eateries Trading Ltd (formerly Strada Trading Ltd) v Allianz Insurance Plc [2022] EWHC 2549 (Comm) and Greggs v Zurich Insurance Plc [2022] EWHC 2545 (Comm). These cases are another reminder of the complexities of BI insurance and the particular challenges created by Covid-19 ...
Commercial landlords and tenants have less than five months to go until the first major change comes into force following the government implementing the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) in 2018. Currently, a commercial landlord cannot grant a new lease of a property that has an energy performance rating of less than E - unless an exemption applies ...
The Criminal Procedure (Amendment No.2) Rules introduce changes to private prosecutions. The Rules amend the existing Criminal Procedure Rules 2020, introducing new criteria that may well serve to curtail the increasing number of private prosecutions, thereby reducing the consequent pressure on the courts and all those involved. The Criminal Procedure (Amendment No.2) Rules The Criminal Procedure (Amendment No.2) Rules (S.I ...
On 3 October 2022 the Environment Secretary (‘ES’), Ranil Jayawardena, announced proposals to raise the maximum civil penalty for water companies who pollute the environment by 1,000-fold, from £250,000 to a proposed £250 million. The proposals are subject to consultation, but if they are implemented, it is hoped they would help to prevent water companies from causing serious polluting incidents and preserve public and environmental health for future generations ...
Now the dust has settled on this year’s hugely influential SCV2UK Summit – which brings together global entrepreneurs, investors, and tech leaders the UK and Bay Area - Partner James Klein reflects on another successful event which the firm has again supported ...
On 20 April 2022 the FCA published its final rules requiring the disclosure of data in relation to diversity on listed company boards and executive committees. Policy Statement On 20 April 2022, the FCA published its final rules requiring the disclosure of data in relation to diversity on listed company boards and executive committees. The rules will apply to financial years beginning on or after 1 April 2022, so the first reporting will be in 2023 ...
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has recently published its most recent Financial Services Survey, the results of which demonstrate the effect that Brexit is having on immigration of employees and expertise in to the UK in the financial services sector. There are an estimated 1.1 million UK jobs in the financial services sector. Historically, the sector obtained one fifth of its workers from outside of the UK ...
July was a busy month for the FCA in publishing guidance, policy and rules which have a significant impact on a firm’s relationships with its senior managers and staff. On 30 June, and towards the beginning of the “crypto winter”, Sarah Pritchard, Executive Director of Markets at the FCA gave a speech to the City UK Annual Conference entitled “Finding Opportunity in a World of Uncertainty” ...
Employers will be familiar with the desire to settle a Tribunal claim before it reaches a final hearing, in fact the Tribunal itself actively encourages mediation and settlement. Swiss Re Corporate Solutions Ltd v Sommer EAT is an excellent example of why it is important to be careful in all without prejudice communication so that if a settlement is not reached, the without prejudice communication does not end up disclosed as part of the Tribunal proceedings ...
How can an employment disciplinary investigation findings determine fitness and propriety? Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SM&CR) firms are under a duty to consider fitness and propriety on an ongoing basis ...
Direct marketing by email is a keystone for many businesses. It can be efficient and effective: but are you confident you are getting it right? Getting it wrong can cost customer goodwill and see the regulator knocking at the door. On 17 October the UK data regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), issued new guidance on electronic mail for direct marketing purposes which should be helpful for companies trying to do the right thing ...
Tackling rising prices within the parameters of public procurement. One of the main symptoms of the current economic crisis is rising prices, for individuals and businesses. Brexit and the Russian invasion of Ukraine are just two contributory factors in fuelling increases in prices across the supply chain in the UK, particularly the cost of raw materials, labour and transport ...
In our final quarterly case law update of 2022, we discuss four of the most significant employment law cases since August 2022 and the lessons that employers should take from them. Whistleblowing In the case of Kong v Gulf International Bank, Ms Kong made protected disclosures to the Head of Legal, Ms Harding ...
A breakdown of the ICO’s recent guidance on how to comply with the UK’s data protection regime when making live marketing calls. The ambiguous lyrics from this popular song have left me confused ...
Making variations to planning permissions as a scheme evolves is rarely a straightforward process, particularly where the changes go beyond the scope of non-material or minor material amendments. One tool that has been used extensively to achieve variations is the ‘drop-in’ planning application where a new consent is granted for an area that overlaps with the original permission ...
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has held that legal privilege does not apply retrospectively to an original version of a report produced before legal advice was sought ...
Shoosmiths’ specialist construction and regulatory teams have provided a detailed response to the government’s consultation on implementing the new building control regime for higher-risk buildings under Part 3 of the Building Safety Act 2022. The firm’s response draws on its expertise working with key stakeholders in the construction industry and first-hand experience of the issues that are relevant to the proposed regulations ...
When we talk about discrimination, most people think of those with protected characteristics such as disability, race or sex being treated less favourably. Should we be considering people being treated less favourably because of their height? What is heightism? The general premise of heightism is the act of forming beliefs subconsciously about someone’s mental and physical qualities because of their height ...
