The government has announced that it plans to launch the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) within the Department for Business and Trade in October 2024. OTSI will be responsible for the civil enforcement of certain trade sanctions as they relate to UK services and overseas trade. OTSI will be authorised to impose monetary penalties, and where this is imposed for a breach, breaches will be determined on  a ‘strict liability’ basis. The Trade, Aircraft and Shipping Sanctions (Civil Enforcement) Regulations 2024, SI 2024/948, which grant the office its new enforcement powers, come into effect on 10 October 2024. The government has also published corresponding guidance on how the OTSI will operate.

The government has announced the creation of two narrowly defined pathways for individuals in Gaza to enter the UK. In light of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the Medical Evacuations and Gaza Full Scholarship routes have been put in place in to provide immediate support for certain groups. Firstly, the Medical Evacuation route allows for the medical evacuation of a limited number of severely ill or injured children who will be admitted to the UK to receive specialist treatment within NHS hospitals. Under this route, immediate family members, namely parents and siblings under the age of 18, will be allowed to accompany the child. Where both parents are deceased, a legal guardian or responsible adult may be permitted to accompany the child. All such evacuations will take place exclusively through the WHO-supported process, and no direct applications will be considered outside this framework. The Gaza Full Scholarships route involves the government facilitating departure for Gazan students who received Chevening scholarships but are otherwise unable to travel. This will allow them to take up their places at UK universities for the 2025–26 academic year. The Gaza Full Scholarship route is also being made available for fully funded students who are supported by an established sponsor that is able to fund both their tuition fees and living costs. Entry via both routes remains contingent on appropriate security checks and the submission of biometric data prior to travel. For further information on these routes, the Home Office’s new Gaza process caseworker guidance should be consulted. A new policy paper on the Full Scholarships routes has also been issued. In addition, the government will continue to provide consular support to British nationals, their dependants, and others eligible to leave Gaza, in line with its Occupied Palestinian Territories Travel Advice.

Law360: The government on 13 November 2024 announced landmark reforms to create new ‘pension megafunds’ that together will invest an additional £80bn into the UK economy.

The Secretary for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle, has announced new plans to boost data centres and protect them from cyber threats and power outages. Data centres will now be classed as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), alongside energy and water systems. This will ensure that data centres housing and processing data, including photos taken on smartphones, patients’ NHS records and sensitive financial investment information, have robust cyber security and resilient energy supplies to prevent and minimise disruptions. The government is also planning to introduce new laws to strengthen the country’s cyber defences by requiring providers of essential infrastructure to protect their supply chains from attacks.

The government has announced new plans to secure UK investment from institutional investors, stating it is planning for long term investment in UK growth and better returns for pension savers. The plan includes the new British Growth Partnership collaboration with the British Business Bank (BBB) to create a pathway for pension funds and institutional investors to invest in innovation and startups. The collaboration aims to facilitate more investment by UK pension schemes into scaling UK companies. These long-term investments as a result of this collaboration will be made independently of government on a fully commercial basis. The government states that the BBB will seek to raise 'hundreds of millions of pounds of investment for this fund', and the government will implement a set of reforms to the BBB's financial framework that will increase its impact and ability to respond flexibly to the market. The government also announced the National Wealth Fund (NWF) as part of this plan, which is geared towards attracting private investment into clean energy industries including green hydrogen, carbon capture and gigafactories. The NWF will have a total of £27.8 billion, be able to make investments that maximise the mobilisation of private investment including the ability to trial new blended finance solutions with government departments, and will work with key industry partners to support delivery of the plan. The government will also bring forward legislation to give the NWF a broader mandate than just infrastructure.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has announced a new initiative to use artificial intelligence (AI) to support public services. The plans includes the introduction of a package of tools collectively named 'Humphrey' to support the work of the civil service. It will also look initially at technological solutions to support those with long term health conditions or disabilities who need to interact with multiple organisations such as DWP and the NHS.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have published the results of a call for evidence on fit notes, and announced the launch of four pilots in different areas of England aimed at fixing the ‘broken’ fit note system. The call for evidence, which was carried out by the previous government between April and July 2024 and received 1,959 responses, examined the impact of the current fit note process on work and health conversations, including the experiences of individuals and carers, employers and healthcare professionals (HCPs), as well as wider system integration and the use of private work sickness certificates.

The government has announced an overhaul of the planning system to fix the foundations and grow the economy. There will be an overhaul of the planning system that will see new mandatory targets for councils and a review of the greenbelt to identify ‘grey belt’ land. The aim is to meet local housing needs, with ‘golden rules’ driving 50% delivery of affordable homes. The new system will ensure every area must have local housing plans with the government ready to step in if areas fall off track.

The Home Office and the Department for Education announced on 23 May 2024 new proposals in relation to Student visas. These proposals are stated 'to ensure the UK’s world-leading higher education sector is used for education, not as a gateway to immigration, with options to go further remaining under consideration'. This follows the Migration Advisory Committee's rapid review of the Graduate visa route, and it is noteworthy that the press release does not include any proposals to make any changes to that route, although the government 'remains concerned that the route is not attracting the highest earners who contribute to our economy'. The proposals include mandating universities to sign up to a framework relating to the use of recruitment agents, tougher compliance standards for institutions recruiting students from overseas, higher financial maintenance requirements and restrictions on remote delivery, and the government is also looking into reviewing English language assessments. Given the announcement of the General Election earlier in the day, and the proroguing of Parliament on 24 May 2024, it is unclear the extent to which any of these measures will be put into force.

The government has announced a number of changes to ‘reduce apprenticeship bureaucracy’:

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and partner departments have announced regulatory reforms in a new Life Sciences Sector Plan. Key measures include streamlining clinical trial approvals, enhancing Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) processes, and coordinating MHRA-National Institute for Health and Care Excellence procedures for MedTech market entry. The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry has responded critically, highlighting concerns over the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth payment rates of 23.5%-35.6%, which it says exceed comparable European nations' rates of 5.7%-9%. The plan introduces NHS 'innovator passports' to accelerate technology adoption and establishes a new regulatory framework for health data research.

The UK government has announced that people with a Ukraine Family Scheme, Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme or Ukraine Extension Scheme visa will be able to apply for a further 18 months of leave. The renewal route will open next year and will grant leave on the same terms and conditions. Applicants can apply within three months of their leave expiring.