Law360, London: The legal tools to hold companies accountable for environmental issues are expanding at an accelerating pace.

The LexisNexis Financial Services practical guidance team in partnership with Chris Ormond and Dr Andrew Henderson of Goodwin has produced a one minute guide which provides a condensed summary of the key requirements of the UK Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDR) and Labelling regime.

TMT analysis: The Implementing Regulation (Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 of 24 May on the rules and procedures for the operation of unmanned aircraft) entered into force on 1 July 2019 establishing a common framework for the operation of unmanned aircraft (UA) across Europe. In this Part 1 of a series of 2 commentaries, Simon Phippard, Of Counsel at Bird and Bird, explains how it will work in practice, and the possible impact of Brexit on its application in the UK.

Arbitration analysis: Coming into force shortly on 29 January 2024 is the Mainland Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters (Reciprocal Enforcement) Ordinance (Cap 645) (Ordinance) and rules which make provisions for the enforcement in Hong Kong of civil and commercial judgments of the Mainland (Mainland Judgments) and for facilitating the recognition and enforcement in the Mainland of Hong Kong judgments (Hong Kong Judgments). The Ordinance and its rules put the Arrangement on Reciprocal Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters by the Courts of the Mainland and Hong Kong dated 18 January 2019 (Arrangement) into effect in Hong Kong. Ian Childs, Henry Zhu and Victoria Yeung of Stephenson Harwood LLP consider what the Ordinance covers, expressly excluded judgments and the effective mainland and Honk Kong judgments.

The Home Office has updated its guidance again on ongoing changes to its commercial partner visa application services. The latest update on 22 October 2024 states that from 19 November, VFS Global will operate visa application centres in these locations: Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The guidance and the Find a visa application centre tool have been also updated for countries that have already moved across from TLS Contact to VFS.

Law360: A panel of pensions, venture capital and private equity experts has been established to boost returns for savers and support economic growth by encouraging funds to invest in fast-growing businesses, the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA) said on 13 February 2024.

The Home Office has confirmed to the Immigration Law Practitioners' Association (ILPA) that it will be opening up a new passenger support helpline from 9am GMT on 31 December 2024, to provide support with travel with eVisas. The passenger support helpline number is 0800 876 6921, and calls to this number will be free of charge. For persons who cannot contact UK 0800 numbers, there is an alternative number of 0203 337 0927, which may incur charges. The Home Office states that the passenger support helpline will be available 24/7 for people who are travelling imminently. However, contact centre staff will not be able to resolve technical issues or contact carriers.

Law360: A tough new governance regime for pension trustees has been introduced, in what experts say is a significant step in driving up standards for the sector.

Law360: The Pensions Minister informed the Work and Pensions Committee (WPC) inquiry into defined benefit (DB) pension schemes on 10 January 2024 that new DB funding regulations will allow them to consider entering into higher-risk finance as part of their long-term investment strategies.

The Home Office, in collaboration with the City of London Police, has announced the establishment of a new pilot Domestic Corruption Unit. Dan Jarvis, the Security Minister, who announced the new unit while speaking at the UK Finance Economic Crime Congress, has said that currently ‘UK law enforcement doesn’t have the capacity to uncover and investigate cases’ and that this unit will bring departments together, enhance their capabilities and provide insights on the threats.

King's College London's Sanctuary Hub, in partnership with the Community Sponsorship Alliance, published a new policy framework on 5 September 2025 to reform the UK's approach to forced migration. The framework advocates scaling up and improving the UK’s community sponsorship scheme, which allows local communities to support refugees as part of a more sustainable, inclusive and effective system. The framework recommends consolidating existing refugee sponsorship schemes into a single programme, introducing sponsorship nominations for specific individuals or families, and streamlining visa processes. Published as the government reviews existing schemes, it proposes expanding community sponsorship eligibility while removing bureaucratic barriers to participation. The framework builds on King's College London’s experience developing the University Sponsorship Model that supported Ukrainian students through the Homes for Ukraine scheme, aiming to create more sustainable and inclusive pathways to sanctuary in the UK.

The First-tier Tribunal (IAC) President has issued Presidential Guidance Note No.2 of 2024. This replaces 2022 guidance and provides a clearer procedure for eliciting evidence from witnesses overseas in immigration and asylum cases. Permission is required to rely on oral evidence from abroad and the application for this must include specified information. The Respondent's review must address whether the witness's evidence is contested and whether they wish to cross-examine the witness. The diplomatic position must be checked and if permission from the other country is not given then the application must be refused. Issues of delay can be a reason to refuse an application, taking into account the overriding objective. Permission is not required to file written evidence from a witness abroad or where a witness who is in the UK or in a specified British territory or Crown Dependency.