The Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) held its annual open meeting in central Birmingham , marking the first meeting outside London in the committee's 29–year history and the first in-person open meeting since the Covid–19 pandemic. Chaired by Lady Justice Cockerill, Deputy Head of Civil Justice, the meeting was open to the public, stakeholders, students and lawyers. A subsequent engagement session for students and junior lawyers drew more than 30 delegates, covering topics including access to justice and the role of artificial intelligence in the civil justice system.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has stated that, according to a forecast based on a City Hall analysis of information provided by Savills, rents in London could increase by up to 19% over the next five years, which amounts to, on average, £370 extra per month. To avoid this, Khan has emphasised the importance of the government giving him powers to introduce rent controls in London and set up the London Private Rent Commission which would be responsible for designing and implementing the rent controls. In addition, he has called for powers to freeze private rents in order to protect renters from the ongoing financial impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Europol has published the European Union Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA 2021) which outlines threats of serious and organised crime facing the EU. The SOCTA 2021 states that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has threatened to create ideal conditions for organised crime to spread in the EU and that a key characteristic of criminal networks is their agility in adapting to and capitalising on the changes caused by coronavirus. It also reports that migrant smuggling, trafficking and exploitation of human beings, offline and online frauds, and property crime present substantial threats to EU citizens.

The International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF) has published its strategic plan for 2026–2030, outlining measures to accelerate global regulatory convergence for medical devices and strengthen governance. The plan sets out five strategic focus areas: (1) modernising governance to support sustainable and transparent growth; (2) reinforcing foundational regulatory principles by converting legacy Global Harmonization Task Force (GHTF) documents into updated IMDRF guidance; (3) addressing regulatory challenges posed by innovative technologies through the development of new technical documents and joint workshops with the IMDRF Industry Group; (4) expanding stakeholder engagement through new and enhanced mechanisms for participation and outreach; and (5) strengthening support for the implementation of IMDRF documents through training and practical guidance. To support consistent application across jurisdictions, the plan also calls for a more systematic and structured approach to IMDRF training programmes. The plan builds on progress made during the 2021–2025 strategic period, which was marked by rapid technological innovation, increased use of regulatory reliance mechanisms and significant regulatory disruption arising from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. During this time, regulators faced accelerating technological developments, including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and digital therapeutics, while adapting regulatory systems to pandemic-related pressures. IMDRF responded by issuing guidance on personalised medical devices, Software as a Medical Device (SaMD), AI-enabled medical devices and cybersecurity, and by developing the Reliance Playbook to promote more efficient and coordinated regulatory cooperation.

This week's edition of Life Sciences weekly highlights includes news that the European Parliament adopted its position on the Digital Omnibus amendments to the EU AI Act, including revised timelines for high-risk systems and the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) expressed concerns regarding the impact on consumer protection of many consumer-facing AI systems being removed from the high-risk classification under the AI Act, the DHSC published an explanatory memorandum on proposed reforms of the EU MDR and IVDR, the MHRA published a collection of guidance on clinical investigations for medical devices and the Commission updated its Q&A on the obligation to inform of interruptions in the supply of medical devices, together with a decision tree diagram. Further news included is that the MHRA published draft guidance on ICH E6 good clinical practice compliance and new guidance on phasing out animal testing in medicines development, with the EMA also consulting on a draft opinion on virtual control groups to reduce animal use in medicines testing, the UK government published a new pandemic preparedness strategy, the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/381 came into force on 31 March 2026, amending the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (HMR 2012) to allow pharmacist preparation without a manufacturer’s licence and extend vaccine flexibilities, as well as news that the UK confirmed a Technology Transfer Block Exemption Order under the Competition Act 1998, replacing the assimilated TTBER from 1 May 2026 with a UK regime, the EMA published the data quality framework for EU medicines regulation, to support regulatory decision-making, the Commission updated its FAQ guidance on EHDS regulation implementation and opened a consultation on draft Guidance on EU Cyber Resilience Act, among other stories.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published its response to the Department for Business and Trade (DBT)'s call for evidence on the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, SI 2018/634. The CMA investigated suspected breaches of consumer protection law in the package holiday sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. This enforcement action secured more than £200m in refunds for consumers. The response includes the CMA’s recommendations and advice to the DBT on how changes to the Regulations may impact consumers and competition.

Transparency International UK has published an analysis titled, 'Behind the Masks: Corruption red flags in COVID-19 public procurement', analysing public procurement and contracts issued during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Transparency International has identified 135 high-risk contracts with three or more corruption red flags, totalling £15.3bn. Transparency International has proposed that those charged with protecting the purse, including the proposed COVID-19 Corruption Commissioner, should investigate these high-risk contracts identified in the report, as well as proposing that the UK government changes how it does procurement and strengthens its institutional safeguards against impropriety.

Further to the Government's response to the Law Commission’s Final report Modernising Wills: Final report, the government acknowledge that reforms are needed and confirmed further announcements will be made when the 31 recommendations have been considered. The draft legislation sets out reforms proposed in the report including revoking the Wills Act 1837 and replacing this with a modern act ready for the future: Modernising Wills: Final Report Volume II: draft Bill for a new Wills Act. What is the position with the Wills Bill? The draft Wills Bill was released by the Law Commission as Volume II to their report on modernising Wills law. What are the key provisions of Wills Bill? The Wills Bill plans to republish the Wills Act 1837 with modernised language and 31 recommended changes as per the extensive report. The key changes planned are the following: • power to make a Will and dispose of property by Will: section 1 sets out that an individual may make a Will and further details are provided in Schedule 1 • testator aged 16 or

One of the temporary changes introduced by the government in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is that those who are required to self-isolate are potentially deemed incapable of working and therefore entitled to statutory sick pay (SSP). However, the answer to the question whether a worker is entitled to receive SSP if they self-isolate in response to an alert from the NHS COVID-19 app remains unclear, as explained below. According to the Public Health England (PHE): guidance for contacts of people with confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection who do not live with the person, contacts who need to self-isolate will usually be notified and advised to do so by the NHS Test and Trace, including

The Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) has launched an inquiry into disabled workers' and jobseekers' access to flexible working arrangements across different groups of disabled people and sectors. Despite there being a cultural shift since the COVID-19 pandemic towards greater acceptance of flexible working, there has been no substantial impact on the employment rate of disabled people and the disability employment gap. The inquiry will consider the effectiveness of current law, including employers' reasonable adjustment duties under the Equality Act 2010 and changes in the Employment Rights Act 2025 intended to widen flexible working arrangements. The Committee is accepting submissions until 26 June 2026.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has published a report calling for urgent improvements to the process and communications regarding ‘Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation' (DNACPR). The PHSO’s casework and research demonstrates that whilst the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted problems, these continue to persist. Key findings include: (1) a lack of accessible information given at the time or before DNACPR conversations take place; (2) issues with record-keeping and documenting decisions, with up-to-date information not following a patient through the medical system and, (3) a lack of public awareness about CPR and who is responsible for making a DNACPR decision.

UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE) has published an analysis written by Senior Fellow, Professor Jonathan Portes, which examines new data released by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) indicating that non-EU migration is accelerating job growth in the UK. The new data from December 2024  shows a significant rise in non-EU-origin payrolled employments, up by nearly two million (90%) since pre-pandemic levels, while EU-origin employments decreased by an estimate of 300,000 and the number of UK-origin employments has remained stable.