The government has published the outcome of its consultation on proposed refinements to the classification of self-catering properties for local tax purposes. The consultation examined three proposals: enabling properties on business rates to average their days let over 2 or 3 years, enabling an allowance of donations to charity for properties on business rates, and encouraging a stepped transition for properties moving from business rates to Council Tax. The measures are intended to refine the treatment of self-catering properties within the local taxation framework. The consultation period ran from 28 August 2025 to 20 November 2025.

The Department for Business and Trade and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have published the government’s response to its consultation on ticket resale and announced plans to make resale above face value illegal for concerts, theatre, comedy, sport and other live events.

Planning analysis: On 3 July 2026, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) published its response to the consultation on streamlining infrastructure planning alongside a new suite of National Infrastructure Planning Guidance. Together, they confirm how the government intends to implement key reforms to the nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP) regime under the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025, including a more flexible approach to pre-application engagement, a more focused examination process and redesigned Planning Inspectorate services. Much of the new guidance will replace the existing NSIP guidance from 24 July 2026, providing practitioners with greater clarity on how the reformed regime is expected to operate in practice.

The government has published a draft of the Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (the Amending Regulations). The Amending Regulations will amend the Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017, SI 2017/395 (Principal Regulations) and the Limited Liability Partnerships (Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance) Regulations 2017, SI 2017/425 (LLP Regulations). The amendments extend the validity of the Principal Regulations and LLP Regulations until 6 April 2031 and mandate a review by the Secretary of State on their operation and effect by 6 April 2029. Notable changes to be made by the Amending Regulations include adjustments to the reporting schedule for qualifying companies, new requirements to disclose payments not made within the payment period and to specify the percentage of payments affected by disputes. Additionally, the Amending Regulations consider arrangements involving finance providers. The Amending Regulations are intended to come into force on 5 April 2024.

The Department for Business and Trade has published an impact assessment for the removal of the unfair dismissal compensatory award cap as part of an economic analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA 2025). Baroness Lloyd of Effra previously confirmed in the House of Lords that an assessment of the removal of the cap would be included in the impact assessment and published before the provision was enacted. The impact assessment has confirmed that the costs of removing the cap under a six-month qualifying period for unfair dismissal will be significantly lower than under a ‘day one’ unfair dismissal right.

The government has published explanatory notes to the Building Safety Act (BSA) 2022, shortly after it published new information and withdrew all 'factsheets' on the BSA 2022 in July 2022. For further information see related digests.

The government has published updated guidance on the use of the National Security and Investment Act (NSI Act), which provides the government with powers to scrutinise and intervene in business transactions to protect national security. The update includes a new section 3 statement, setting out how the Deputy Prime Minister intends to exercise powers under the NSI Act to call-in certain acquisitions for scrutiny.

Planning analysis: The government has published four documents launching the new local plan-making system introduced by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 (LURA 2023). Together, they set out a 30-month timetable for local plan preparation, new Gateway stages and statutory backstop dates for starting plans, with transition arrangements running until the end of 2026. The reforms aim to deliver a faster, clearer and more standardised plan-making process that all authorities must adopt from early 2026.

Corporate Crime analysis: On 17 November 2023, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) together with the part of His Majesty’s Treasury responsible for sanctions implementation and enforcement, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), issued joint guidance on their approach to the ‘ownership and control test’ which determines the scope of UK asset freeze sanctions. Guidance alone is, however, unlikely to address the problems caused by the UK’s ownership and control test in practice. Diana Czugler, senior associate, and Alistair Jones, of Counsel, of Peters & Peters, consider the new guidance.

The government has published interministerial communiqués from the Interministerial Group for Net Zero, Energy and Climate Change and the Interministerial Standing Committee. The Interministerial Group for Net Zero, Energy and Climate Change has published a communiqué following the group’s meeting on 21 February 2024. Discussion focused on the UK Emissions Trading Scheme and the expansion of the scheme’s scope to additional sectors of the economy. The Interministerial Standing Committee has published a communiqué following the group’s meeting on 12 March 2024. The committee discussed supporting multi-faith communities in response to tensions in the Middle East, legislation to create a smoke free generation and the exoneration of sub-Post Masters.

The Prime Minister’s Office has published a summary of the UK government’s legal position regarding UK military action in the Middle East conflict with Iran. The statement sets out the government’s view that the UK is defending itself and its position in the region, and is acting in collective self-defence of regional allies who have requested support.

The Attorney General, Lord Hermer KC, has issued new guidance to government lawyers for assessing legal risk. The amended guidance reflects the approach the Attorney set out in his Bingham lecture last month, with a greater emphasis on the rule of law within government, and on international law. Sir Jonathan Jones, Senior Consultant at Linklaters, and the Lexis+® UK Public Law team comment on this development.