The House of Lords European Affairs Committee held an evidence session with Ministers Stephen Doughty and Nick Thomas-Symonds to discuss the government's plans for resetting UK-EU relations. The Ministers outlined three key pillars: a security partnership, enhanced law enforcement cooperation and trade/growth initiatives. The Product Regulation and Metrology Bill, which grants powers to align with or diverge from EU regulations, was discussed by the Ministers, along with the government's approach to monitoring EU regulatory developments. The Ministers also emphasised the importance of addressing issues affecting the creative industries, particularly touring artists, in upcoming negotiations. The Ministers outlined plans to negotiate a sanitary and phytosanitary agreement, pursue mutual recognition of professional qualifications in services, and facilitate easier EU performances for UK artists. The government has established a new EU Relations Secretariat in the Cabinet Office to coordinate the reset across departments.

Minister of State at the Department for Transport, Andrew Stephenson, has published a written statement to formally lift the safeguarding directions for High Speed 2 (HS2) Phase 2a between the West Midlands and Crewe. This will allow passengers to travel on HS2 trains through to Manchester, Liverpool and Scotland, joining the West Coast Main Line and reduce journey time between London and Manchester by nearly half an hour. The minister further announced the closure of the Rural Support Zone, Extended Homeowner Protection Zone and Homeowner Payment schemes as the schemes were primarily established to support people who would have been impacted by the construction of the Phase 2 of HS2.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia has announced that the Paris Court of Appeal has annulled the purported Final Award issued by arbitrator, Gonzalo Stampa, in the Sulu case, ruling that he lacked jurisdiction because no valid arbitration agreement bound Malaysia. The Court set aside the award in full and ordered the Sulu claimants to pay €200,000 in costs to the Malaysian Government. The decision, made on 9 December 2025 and received by Malaysia overnight, follows earlier French decisions in the same dispute, including the annulment of the recognition and enforcement of the Partial Award in June 2023 and the dismissal of the claimants’ challenge by the French Supreme Court in November 2022. Malaysia stated that the judgment confirms that the claims advanced by the Sulu group and their litigation funder lack legal basis, and affirmed its intention to continue safeguarding its sovereignty and national interests against further attempts to pursue the matter.

In response to a question posed by Baroness Harris  on whether the UK government intends ‘to withdraw the “thank you” payments to sponsors of the Homes for Ukraine scheme’, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government confirmed that thank you payments remain in place for sponsors of Ukrainian guests under the Homes for Ukraine (HfU) scheme. Whilst these payments will continue for current sponsors, including those whose guests transition to the new Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) visa, a flat rate of £350 per month will be implemented from 1 April 2025 for all sponsors, regardless of guests' duration of stay. Importantly, the payments will cease after the additional 18-month period of leave under the UPE visa, which is said to be intended to encourage independent living for Ukrainian guests. The Ministry is facilitating the transition by promoting the government's 'rent a room' scheme for sponsors wishing to convert to lodging arrangements, though it is noteworthy that those charging rent will forfeit eligibility for thank you payments.

The Ministry of Justice has announced new measures to address prison release errors, including a £10m investment over six months in AI-powered tools to assist frontline staff with sentence calculations and system upgrades. The Deputy Prime Minister will chair a new monthly Justice Performance Board to oversee prison and court performance, while a fast-track courts hotline will enable prison staff to verify outstanding warrants before releases. The measures include expanding Dame Lynne Owen's independent review with a dedicated data team to examine historic cases, simplifying prisoner release policy to standardise case treatment, and requiring court staff to confirm orders verbally with judges before finalisation. Late requests for changes must be sent directly to relevant prisons. The announcement follows publication of data showing 91 releases in error occurred from April 2025 to October 2025. Dame Lynne Owen's expanded review is expected to report in February 2026.

The Ministry of Justice has addressed the impact of the government’s decision to revoke the commencement of section 6 of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023 (REUL(RR)A 2023). It has announced that the consequence for the new CPR 68, which came into force on 1 October 2024, is that it currently has no effect. None of the other provisions under the Civil Procedure (Amendment No 3) Rules 2024, SI 2024/839, that came into force on 1 October 2024 are impacted as Part 68 is a self-contained part. The government may still bring REUL(RR)A 2023, s 6 into force in the future.

The Ministry of Justice has announced several upcoming increases to the court and tribunal fees, pending parliamentary approval, from April 2025. The fee increase, which was driven by the changes in Consumer Price Index, will affect 171 courts and tribunals throughout the UK. Of particular relevance to immigration practitioners is the increase in fees for the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) which are reflected in the table below:

The Ministry of Justice has published its annual report to the Joint Committee on Human Rights setting out the government’s position on the implementation of human rights judgments from the European Court of Human Rights and UK domestic courts, explaining how adverse findings have been addressed, where implementation remains ongoing, and the implications for compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights across the UK during the 2024–25 reporting period.

The Ministry of Justice has launched a consultation on proposals to raise funds through an Interest on Lawyers' Client Accounts Scheme in England and Wales. The consultation seeks views from legal service providers and practitioners, regulators, professional bodies, clients and consumer groups, the banking sector and companies providing client money accounts or third party managed accounts for legal firms, and actors in the advice sector. The government has published supporting research exploring law firms' use of interest on general client accounts alongside the consultation document. The consultation is open from 7 January 2026 to 9 February 2026.

The Ministry of Justice has launched a three-month consultation on proposed changes to the Victims' Code, running from February to April 2026. The proposals include creating the first child-friendly version of the Victims' Code, developed in collaboration with young people and experts, which will set out children's rights in age-appropriate language. Key changes for child victims include provisions for direct contact with police and probation officers alongside parents for those aged 12 and above. The strengthened code will establish 12 fundamental principles covering victims' rights from crime reporting through to trial and beyond, including rights to understand proceedings, receive information about investigations, make victim impact statements, and access compensation. When commenced, enhanced powers for the Victims' Commissioner will enable accountability measures against agencies that fail to meet code standards without justification. The government will also launch an 'Understand your Rights' campaign across England and Wales to increase awareness of victims' entitlements under the code.

Statistics relating to the employment tribunals for the quarter January to March 2026 have been published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). The statistics provide a snapshot of the number and types of cases that have been dealt with in the employment tribunals during Q4 2025/26. The figures show that the employment tribunal backlog continues to increase, with open claims rising to a new high. The data also shows a substantial increase in single claim receipts while disposals remain comparatively low, indicating that the gap between incoming and resolved claims continues to widen. This comes as employers and practitioners prepare for the continued implementation of reforms introduced by the Employment Rights Act 2025, which are expected to generate additional claims.

Statistics relating to the employment tribunals for the quarter July to September 2025 have been published by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). The statistics provide a snapshot of the number and types of cases that have been dealt with in the employment tribunals during Q2 2025/26.