The Law Commission has published a consultation paper as part of its review of current compulsory purchase and compensation laws in England and Wales. Building on its reports from the early 2000s, the paper seeks to address the fragmented and outdated nature of the legal framework. This follows a request from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, with the Commission tasked with drafting a Bill to consolidate, codify, and modernise the existing legislation. The paper is divided into three key sections, comprising 106 questions. The first section, Chapters 2-5, examines procedural aspects of compulsory purchase, the second section, Chapters 6-11, focuses on compensation-related issues, and the final section, Chapters 12-15, addresses supplementary matters. The consultation closes on 31 March 2025.

On 5 June 2025, the Law Commission of England and Wales has launched a consultation on reforms to private international law rules necessitated by emerging technologies such as decentralised ledger technology (DLT).

The Law Commission has launched a consultation to examine how the right to renew business tenancies under Part 2 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 (LTA 1954) functions and whether it meets the needs of business tenants and landlords. The consultation seeks to assess the efficacy of the current ‘contracting out’ model and explore alternative models, including mandatory security, the abolition of security of tenure, and a ‘contracting-in’ approach. It also examines which types of business tenancies should benefit from security of tenure. The consultation closes on 19 February 2025, with a second consultation paper expected to follow based on the responses received.

As part of the projects in the Law Commission's 14th Programme of Law Reform, it has launched two consultations on proposed reforms to commercial leasehold and business tenancy laws in England and Wales.

The Law Commission has launched a call for evidence to inform its project on private international law in the context of digital assets and electronic trade documents and is separately seeking views on draft legislation following its report on digital assets in June 2023. The call for evidence aims to focus on helping the Commission identify the most challenging and prevalent issues of private international law that arise from the digital, online, and decentralised contexts in which modern digital assets and electronic trade documents are used, including which national courts have jurisdiction, which country's law is applicable, and how out-of-jurisdiction judgments can be enforced. The project has a particular focus on crypto-tokens and electronic trade documents because these assets are prevalent in market practice, while also posing novel theoretical challenges to the traditional methods of private international law. The deadline for responses to the call for evidence is 16 May 2024. Separately, the Commission has launched a short consultation exercise on draft legislation to confirm the existence of a third category of personal property into which crypto-tokens and other assets could fall. This follows its June 2023 report, concluding that certain digital assets, including crypto-tokens and non-fungible tokens, are capable of attracting personal property rights. However, because digital assets differ significantly from physical assets, and from rights-based assets like debts and financial securities, they do not fit within traditional categories of personal property. The Commission recommended that legislation should confirm the existence of a 'third' category of personal property and has now prepared draft legislation to reflect this recommendation. It is seeking views on the draft clauses. The deadline for responses to the draft is 22 March 2024.

The Law Commission of England and Wales has launched a project to consider the potential introduction of a consumer class actions regime, following a government request to assess whether consumer law enforcement could be strengthened. The project, sponsored by the Department for Business and Trade, will examine the benefits and risks of such a regime, having regard to existing mechanisms, including public enforcement action and alternative dispute resolution, and explore how it could be designed. The objectives of such a regime would include improving consumers' access to redress and promoting efficient litigation conduct at proportionate cost. The Law Commission has published an initial scoping questionnaire, with responses required by 30 October 2026. Work on the project is expected to begin in autumn 2026, with further stakeholder engagement planned ahead of the publication of a consultation paper setting out the Law Commission's provisional reform proposals.

The Law Commission has launched a supplementary consultation on contempt of court in respect of contempt by publication where proceedings are active and the conduct threshold should be applied. It also seeks views on whether there should be a defence that ensures that public discussion of matters of public interest is not unnecessarily or disproportionately restricted where proceedings are active. This supplementary consultation addresses the issues raised in the Southport attacks in 2024 and runs from 3 March 2025 to 31 March 2025. It follows the initial contempt consultation in July 2024. The Law Commission intends to publish its report in two parts; the first part will address the issues raised in the supplementary consultation along with the role of the Attorney General in contempt proceedings and is to be published in autumn 2025 and the second part will address all remaining issues and is to be published in 2026.

The Law Commission has opened a supplementary consultation surrounding contempt of court law reform, specifically addressing issues that emerged from the Southport murders case. Following the original July 2024 consultation, this additional review focuses on post-arrest publication restrictions and potential defences for releasing information in the public safety or national security interest. At the request of senior government officials, the Commission will expedite its reporting process, delivering findings in two parts: the first in autumn 2025, addressing misinformation and disinformation concerns, particularly regarding national security and public order, with the second part following in 2026. The supplementary consultation closes on 31 March 2025, with the Commission seeking views on reforming the parameters of permissible post-arrest publications.

The Law Commission has published recommendations for reforming disabled children's social care law in England. The proposals aim to consolidate existing legislation from the 1970s and 1980s into the Children Act framework, establishing national eligibility criteria and introducing express rights for disabled children to request assessments. The reforms would affect over 500,000 disabled children and require new legislation to implement. The recommendations include requirements for independent advocacy and improved coordination between health, education and social care services.

The Law Commission has published its ‘Annual Report 2021—22’, which highlights the work the Commission has undertaken in the previous 12 months. This work includes publishing eight major reports on matters such as electronic trade documents, hate crime and automated vehicles, and two Wales-specific reports on coal tips and devolved tribunals in Wales that were laid before the Senedd. The Law Commission has said many of its law reforms have been implemented by government, such as those pertaining to communications and cyberflashing offences in the Online Safety Bill and espionage offences in the National Security Bill, and it has recruited a Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator and promoted an array of training and development initiatives in and beyond the organisation. The Law Commission has also said its new governance and funding model has allowed it ‘to continue to deliver high quality and timely law reform’.

The Law Commission has published its Annual Report for 2023–2024. The annual report highlights the work the Law Commission has done from October 2023 to March 2024 and confirms the latest updates on criminal law reforms. Amongst other matters, the report confirms that the Criminal Justice Bill has implemented most of the Commission’s recommendations on amending the confiscation regime under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and that some of their recommendations on corporate criminal liability have been set out in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. The Commission also intends to publish a consultation paper in the summer on a review of the law of contempt of court, as well as publishing a consultation paper at some point this year inviting views on their provisional proposals for reforming the law on criminal appeals.

The Law Commission has published its Annual Report 2025–26 (and accompanying Business Plan 2026–27), highlighting progress across a number of significant property law reform projects. In relation to business tenancies, the Commission continued its review of the security of tenure regime under Part 2 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, publishing an interim statement that provisionally supports retaining the current contracting-out model while wider reform options are considered. The Commission also advanced its work on chancel repair liability, consulting on proposals to ensure purchasers are only bound by liabilities that are registered and visible on the title, with the aim of reducing the need for costly searches and insurance. In addition, a new Commercial Leasehold project has commenced, focusing on rights of first refusal and issues arising under the Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995, with a view to removing barriers to commercial transactions and reducing unnecessary complexity.