Law360, London: A medical equipment company linked to Conservative peer Baroness Mone must repay the government £122m after it provided unsafe surgical gowns during the early days of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a court ruled on 1 October 2025.

Law360, London: The operator of the Dirty Martini cocktail bar chain has settled its £4m claim against a Maltese insurer for losses it claimed to have suffered during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Law360, London: Almost 70 cosmetics clinics, including tattoo studios and a flotation therapy centre, have sued two Lloyd's of London syndicates managed by Beazley for losses they claimed to have incurred after temporarily closing during the coronavirus pandemic.

Unlike company general meetings and annual general meetings, there are no provisions in the Companies Act 2006  regulating board meetings or prescribing who can call a board meeting or any notice period that has to be given to directors when convening a board meeting. Instead, the procedure for calling and conducting board meetings is usually set out in the articles. For comprehensive information on the convening and holding of board meetings under normal circumstances see Practice Notes: • Directors’ board meetings—fundamentals • Directors’ decision-making—convening board meetings • Directors’ decision-making—conduct at board meetings • Directors’ decision-making—written resolutions and decisions by sole directors On 26 March 2020, compulsory measures (the 'Stay at Home Measures') prohibiting, among other things, public gatherings of more than two people were passed into law in England

Where multiple dwellings relief (MDR) applies to a transaction a buyer can choose whether to claim MDR or pay stamp duty land tax (SDLT) calculated on a standard basis (for which, see Practice Note: Rates of SDLT). Depending on the particular circumstances of the transaction, a claim for MDR may or may not result in less SDLT being due. For more details

Section 78 of the Coronavirus Act 2020 (CA 2020) facilitated postponement of elections and by elections, together with relaxation of procedural prescriptive requirements in relation to local authority meetings through the Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020, SI 2020/392, which came into force on 4 April 2020. Section 85 of the Local Government Act 1972 (LGA 1972) provides: ‘ ...if a member of a local authority fails throughout a period of six consecutive months from the date of his last attendance to attend any meeting of the

Law360, London: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has rejected an application by a law firm and a group of hospitality sector trade groups to extend the deadline for business interruption claims linked to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

A landlord can oppose the grant of a new lease under section 30(1)(b) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 (LTA 1954) on the basis of persistent delay in paying rent. This Practice Note covers what needs to be evidenced to establish ground (b) and what the court will take into account in reaching a decision. LTA 1954, s 30(1)(b) provides that: '…the tenant ought not to be granted a new tenancy in view of his persistent delay in paying rent which has become due' There must be a history of late payment, although it need not be prolonged, nor need there be substantial arrears of rent. The court will look at the whole course of the current tenancy in order to decide whether any delay has been ‘persistent’. The court will look at: • the inconvenience that the landlord has been put to (see Horowitz v Ferrand [1956] CLY 4843 (not reported by LexisNexis®)) • the frequency of late payments, the length of delay, and whether the arrears are

This week's edition of Life Sciences weekly highlights includes the analysis of the High Court’s decision in AA v Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, in which the High Court (Family Division) granted declaratory relief in 14 of 15 applications to renew consent for the storage of gametes and embryos outside statutory time limits, holding that section 3 of the Human Rights Act 1998 could be used to avoid a breach of Article 8 ECHR rights where applicants were denied a fair opportunity to renew consent due to clinic error. Also included, is MLex analysis of the European Commission’s 2026 priorities for implementing the EU AI Act and news that the MHRA launched a consultation on indefinite recognition of CE-marked medical devices in Great Britain and it has updated guidance on transitional arrangements under the amended Clinical Trials Regulations, as well as updated its guidance on the reporting procedure for defective medicinal products. Further news includes the Commission launching, BE READY, a €120m Horizon Europe partnership to strengthen pandemic preparedness research and the MHRA has reported seizing approximately 4.4 million doses of unlicensed erectile dysfunction pills in 2025 as one of the most frequently seized illegally traded medicines.

If you are in scope of the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (MLR 2017), SI 2017/692, as amended, you must comply with the statutory requirements at all times, irrespective of your working arrangements. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic necessitated a shift to remote working, and it has remained widely adopted since, however, identifying your client and verifying their identity is still just as important and a key part of the client due diligence (CDD) process. Criminals continued to operate during the pandemic, and some sought to take advantage of the situation. Remote and hybrid working arrangements that have continued beyond the pandemic mean many of the CDD challenges first considered during that time remain relevant, as criminals continue to try to take advantage. You should consider the risks associated with acting for clients without meeting them in your firm-wide risk assessment (FWRA). This in turn will need to cascade through to policies, controls and procedures you put in place to manage the risks you

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has published a blog post, written by Mark Stewart, on how local court initiatives have made a difference to the courts recovery after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Stewart discusses how the HMCTS staff worked with others to increase court capacity, the modifications made to cases with multiple defendants, how fraud cases were dealt with throughout the pandemic, how access to justice was improved and the creative ways found to increase Crown Court work. Steward concluded with praising the commitment, creativity and determination of HMCTS staff.

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained. This tracker was used to track key developments, legislation, guidance and briefing notes relating to the response to coronavirus (COVID-19) in 2020, focusing on updates relevant to education. It is designed to provide a historical record of the legislation and guidance in place and used during that period. For a navigational list of all local government coronavirus trackers, see: Coronavirus (COVID-19)—local government tracker up to 18 July 2021 [Archived]. Primary Legislation Development When in force Find out more Coronavirus Act 2020 (CA 2020)• CA 2020, ss 37–38 (schools, childcare providers etc) • CA 2020, Sch 16 Pt 1 (temporary closure of educational institutions and childcare premises 25 March 2020 Emergency measures in place and relaxation of education duties to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic This Act is made to enable the government to respond to an emergency situation and manage the effects of a coronavirus pandemic. A severe pandemic could infect up to 80% of the population leading to a reduced workforce,