The Independent Expert Panel on Corporate Re-domiciliation (Panel) published its report on 1 October 2024. The Panel was established by the Department for Business and Trade in December 2023 to develop a proposal for changing the legal framework to enable companies incorporated in overseas jurisdictions to transfer to the UK while retaining the same legal personality. The report outlines the Panel’s proposals, supporting the introduction of a two-way re-domiciliation regime, enabling corporate bodies registered outside the UK to become a UK company and UK companies to re-domicile outside the UK. It details various components of the proposed regime, including eligibility criteria for organisations, required information for re-domiciliation, as well as the application process. The government welcomes the report and intends to consult on a proposed regime design in due course.

The Independent Financial Adviser (IFA) channel represents the largest distribution channel available to a life company. To meet the need of clients, an independent financial adviser is able to select products from the whole of the market. This choice might be influenced by many factors including price, flexibility, service, brand, financial strength, range of funds etc.

‘Independent Press Standards Organisation’ is an independent, self-regulatory body, that deals with complaints about the editorial content (not advertising) of newspapers, magazines (not books) and their websites, as well as about some types of behaviour of such organisations’ journalists. It replaced the commission'>Press Complaints Commission on 8 September 2014.

Corporate Crime analysis: On 4 February, Sir Brian Leveson published Part 2 of his Independent Review of the Criminal Courts (the ‘Efficiency Review’), setting out his recommendations on how to improve the efficiency of the criminal justice system in England and Wales. It follows Part 1 of the Review (the ‘Policy Review’), whose release in July 2025 attracted considerable attention in and beyond the legal profession. Tiffany Buckley and Sam Whiteley, associates at Peters & Peters, focus on two aspects of particular interest to practitioners: (1) increasing digitisation, including the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools; and (2) proposals for greater remote participation.

The Independent Reviewer of State Threats Legislation has published the first annual report examining the operation of the National Security Act 2023 and Schedule 3 to the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019 in 2024. Jonathan Hall KC's report reviews the UK's legislative response to hostile foreign state activities below the threshold of armed conflict, making three recommendations: publication of official statistics on State Threat powers usage, extension of Independent Custody Visitor oversight to National Security Act 2023 detainees, and creation of public guidance on peaceful protest for police exercising powers under section 6. The Home Office has published a response accepting all recommendations, with Security Minister Dan Jarvis noting that 10 people have been charged under the Act to date, with four already convicted under offences including assisting a foreign intelligence service, accepting material benefits from a foreign intelligence service, preparatory conduct and unauthorised access to prohibited places. The report represents the first independent review of the UK's modernised counter-espionage laws since their enactment.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has launched a comprehensive sentencing review, chaired by David Gauke and supported by an expert panel. The review aims to address the prison capacity crisis and reduce reoffending by examining international best practices and technological innovations. A public call for evidence has been opened for eight weeks from 14 November 2024, exploring seven key themes including sentencing structure, technology use, and the needs of victims and offenders. The review will consider examples from Sweden, the Netherlands, and Texas, where similar challenges have been addressed successfully. Three core principles will guide the review's recommendations: ensuring prison space for dangerous offenders, encouraging rehabilitation, and exploring tougher non-custodial punishments. The findings are due to be submitted to the Lord Chancellor by Spring 2025.

The Independent Television Authority (ITA) was established to supervise the commercial television broadcasting service, Independent Television (ITV). It was responsible for transmission stations used by the ITV network and also determined the franchise areas and awarded the franchises to regional commercial broadcasters. In 1972, the ITA assumed a further responsibility for local commercial sound broadcasting services, and was renamed the Independent Broadcasting Authority in consequence.

The Independent Water Commission (IWC) has launched a call for evidence, seeking stakeholder views on potential reforms to the water sector in England and Wales. The call for evidence highlights current issues identified from the evidence gathered by the IWC, and explores areas for potential change, including environmental regulation, the financial resilience of water companies, and attracting long-term investment in the sector. The IWC will submit its final recommendations to the UK and Welsh governments in Summer 2025. The call for evidence closes on 23 April 2025.

The Independent Water Commission (IWC) has published its final report setting out 88 recommendations to reform the regulatory framework of the water sector in England and Wales, alongside a summary of over 50,000 responses to its February 2025 call for evidence. Building on preliminary conclusions released in June 2025, the report outlines recommendations across seven key themes: (1) strategic direction and planning; (2) legislative framework; (3) regulator reform; (4) regulation reform; (5) company structures, ownership, governance and management; (6) infrastructure and asset health; and (7) implementation. The report has been submitted to the UK and Welsh governments, which will respond and consult on the proposals, including potential legislation. The government also confirmed plans to fast track five of these recommendations, including the establishment of a new single water regulator to replace Ofwat. In autumn 2025, it will publish a White Paper outlining its full response to the IWC's final report, alongside an associated consultation. Following this, a new Water Reform Bill will be introduced early in the current parliamentary term.

The Independent Water Commission (IWC) has published an interim report outlining its preliminary conclusions on reforming the regulatory system for the water sector in England and Wales. The report, which follows the IWC’s February 2025 call for evidence, identifies five key areas requiring substantial reform: (1) strategic direction and planning; (2) the legislative framework; (3) regulatory reform; (4) company structures, ownership, governance, and management; and (5) infrastructure and asset health. The IWC is expected to submit its final report to the UK and Welsh governments in summer 2025.

Under Rule 3.1 the offeree board must obtain competent independent advice as to whether the financial terms of any offer (including any alternative offers) are fair and reasonable. The substance of such advice must be made known to the offeree's shareholders. Rule 3.3 and its Note 1 provides that the Panel will not regard as an appropriate person to give independent advice a person who is in the same group as the financial or other professional adviser (including a corporate broker) to an offeror or who has a significant interest in or financial connection with either an offeror or the offeree of such a kind as to create a conflict of interest.

The Welsh Government has reported that the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales has released its final report. The Commission, consisting of 11 members, was established in 2021 to consider how Wales is governed and options for change. An interim report was published in December 2022. In its final report, the Commission has said that three alternative constitutional options for Wales, namely independence, a federal system and enhancing devolution, are all viable for Wales in the long term. However, the Commission did highlight that each constitutional option comes with its own economic and other risks in the short to medium term. The Commission has also contended that urgent changes are needed to protect the status quo, including the devolution of justice, policing and rail infrastructure to better foster accountability and service delivery.