For general information on issues relating to the right to holiday and holiday pay during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, see Practice Note: Coronavirus (COVID-19)—holiday and holiday pay [Archived]. The calculation of holiday pay under the Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR 1998), SI 1998/1833 has remained unchanged during the coronavirus pandemic; the amendments set out in the Employment Rights Act 1996 (Coronavirus, Calculation of a Week’s Pay) Regulations 2020 (Week’s Pay Amendments Regs 2020), SI 2020/814 do not apply in respect of calculation of holiday pay. Under the WTR 1998, SI 1998/1833, reg 16, during any period of statutory holiday a worker is entitled to be paid at the rate of a ‘week’s pay’ for each week of holiday, calculated in accordance with sections 221–224 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA 1996) (with certain modifications). Different methods

An interim report from HM Treasury's Covid Counter Fraud Commissioner has identified £1.4bn in losses from ‘failed’ pandemic-era Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) contracts. According to a Treasury press release, £182m has been recovered to date, with some PPE suppliers referred to the National Crime Agency for suspected fraud. Of the remainder, £762m is considered unrecoverable due to over-ordering and delayed checks, while £468m remains potentially recoverable. The report attributes the majority of the losses to the purchase of surgical gowns, 52% of which were non-compliant with requirements. A second phase investigation into other pandemic spending programmes including furlough and bounce-back loans is under way. A final report is due at the end of the Commissioner’s term in December 2025.

In response to the PPE procurement scandals during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, Spotlight on Corruption (SOC) has called for the introduction of a new 'corruption in public office' offence and permanent establishment of the domestic corruption unit within the City of London Police, supported by long-term funding commitments. These recommendations form part of a broader package of reforms aimed at preventing cronyism in public contracts and ensuring greater accountability in public procurement. The proposals come in the context of significant failures in managing conflicts of interest during the pandemic, particularly in relation to the VIP lane for PPE procurement, where suppliers were ten times more likely to secure contracts than through standard channels, despite delivering PPE that was frequently unusable and significantly more expensive.

It is a somewhat underappreciated aspect to possession proceedings under CPR 55 that claims under that part do not have to be confined to possession. CPR PD 55A para 1.7 reads: ‘1.7 A claim which is not a possession claim may be brought under the procedure set out in Section I of Part 55 if it is started in the same claim form as a possession claim which, by virtue of rule 55.2(1) must be brought in accordance with that Section. (Rule 7.3 provides that a claimant may use a single claim form to start all claims which can be conveniently disposed of in the same proceedings).’ This

Law360, London: Insurers are wrong to have deducted an estimated £1bn of taxpayer-funded furlough grants issued during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, representatives for policyholders argued before the UK Supreme Court on 11 February 2026 in a landmark case for business interruption claims.

Law360, London: Insurers have won the right to deduct the value of government financial support to businesses during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic from however much they can claim against their policies, as an appeals court handed down a landmark judgment on 21 February 2025.

Law360, London: The National Farmers Union (NFU) Mutual Insurance Society has argued that it does not owe a group of hospitality and farming businesses approximately £10.5m for alleged losses after coronavirus (COVID-19) took hold in Britain because their policies did not cover the pandemic.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA) have released comprehensive guidelines to assist pharmaceutical companies in implementing Shortage Mitigation Plans (SMPs) and Shortage Prevention Plans (SPPs). These measures aim to address the escalating issue of medicine shortages across Europe, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has significantly impacted patient care and treatment availability.

The impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has profound implications for the global economy and for individual businesses. Government measures in the UK and overseas to slow the spread of the virus include social distancing, self-isolation and closure of businesses. Where businesses

ARCHIVED: This Precedent has been archived and is not maintained. CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19): Many arbitral organisations have responded to the coronavirus pandemic with practical guidance and/or changes to their usual procedures and ways of working. Registrar Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre 38/F, 2 Exchange Square 8 Connaught Place HKSAR China Fax: +852 2524 2171 Email: arbitration@hkiac.org [insert date] Dear [HKIAC], Answer

Law360, London: A racecourse business shuttered during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on 22 July 2025 lost its case that £2.5m insurance limits applied to every cancelled race, with a London court ruling that each event was not a separate point of loss.

Restructuring & Insolvency analysis: We look at the reforms to the insolvency law of China prompted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Written by Xiahong Chen, fellow of Bankruptcy Law and Enterprise Restructuring of Research Center of China University of Political Science and Law; Member of INSOL, INSOL Europe and ABI.