The British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) has welcomed the FCA’s post-implementation review of travel insurance signposting. The review confirms that signposting services are delivering good outcomes for consumers, after the requirements in April 2021 were introduced to help consumers with serious pre-existing medical conditions better navigate the travel insurance market. BIBA welcomes this, as it has long advocated total signposting as a solution to help customers find suitable insurance.

Bail for Immigration Detainees (BID) has published a new legal guide for people in immigration detention affected by the recent UK–France Agreement which enables the removal of asylum seekers to France. The guide outlines how the agreement works, outlines detainees’ rights, and provides step-by-step guidance on how to respond upon receipt of a Notice of Intent. It provides template letters to challenge detention or removal, information on applying for bail, and contacts for free legal advice. BID is actively supporting affected individuals through its advice line, legal partnerships, and policy monitoring, highlighting risks such as lack of representation and rushed deportations without proper safeguards—issues reminiscent of the abandoned Rwanda scheme. BID urges prompt action to safeguard access to justice under this accelerated removal scheme.

Bail for Immigration Detainees (BID) has published its Spring 2026 Legal Advice Survey, which reports that access to legal representation for people held in immigration detention has fallen to the lowest level ever recorded by BID. Based on interviews with people detained across five UK immigration removal centres, the survey identifies systemic barriers to justice which, according to BID, leave most detainees without the legal support needed to understand and exercise their rights, including applying for immigration bail.

Bail for Immigration Detainees (BID) has published its Prison Legal Advice Report, finding that 86% of respondents detained under immigration powers in prisons lacked legal representation. Drawing on 23 survey responses from 15 prisons collected between April and December 2025, the report assessed implementation of HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) interim policies introduced following SM v The Lord Chancellor's Department [2021] EWHC 418 (Admin). The policies include provision for: (1) a £5 weekly payment; (2) a list of local legal aid advisers; (3) 30 minutes of free legally aided advice and (4) notification of access to this advice at the outset of immigration detention. BID found that the policies were not being effectively implemented in practice: (1) only 7% of eligible respondents received the £5 weekly payment; (2) just 27% were given information about accessing legal aid; (3) only 40% received a list of advisers and (4) only two respondents received the 30 minutes of free legal advice. Many prison staff demonstrated limited awareness of the interim policy requirements.

The British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) and Cooley LLP have published a study examining how investment treaty law applies to regulation of the technology sector. The study identifies technology-based investor-state dispute settlement as an emerging area, noting that although relatively few claims have been brought by technology companies to date, this is likely to increase as regulation intensifies in areas such as data protection, artificial intelligence and digital platforms. It also highlights unresolved jurisdictional issues, including whether digital assets such as data constitute protected investments and how territorial nexus requirements apply to companies operating across borders with limited physical presence.

The British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) has announced that it will host a human rights in international investment roundtable event. The meeting will take place on 30 September 2024. It will be a closed meeting, open only to members of the BIICL Human Rights Due Diligence Forum and Investment Treaty Forum.

The British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) has published a European Commission study examining third-party litigation funding (TPLF) regulation across the EU. The study, responding to the European Parliament's September 2022 resolution calling for TPLF legislation, maps existing regulations across EU member states and four non-EU jurisdictions. It combines legal analysis with consultation feedback from 231 stakeholders and evaluates three potential regulatory approaches: no regulation, light-touch regulation and strict regulation. The Commission will use findings to determine its regulatory response.

The British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) will host a panel discussion on 9 July 2025, focusing on recent developments in public international law cases in UK courts, including the issue of immunities. Chaired by the Rt Hon Lord Justice Dingemans, the panel will feature practitioners such as Hussein Haeri KC, Professor Dan Sarooshi KC, Professor Philippa Webb and Can Yeginsu. The discussion will explore how domestic courts interpret and apply international legal principles and examine emerging trends in this area. The event will be held at BIICL’s London headquarters—Charles Clore House, 17 Russell Square.

Building information modelling (BIM)

There is no ‘standard’ BIM (building information modelling) protocol that is required on all projects in the UK using BIM—parties involved in construction projects where BIM is to be adopted can choose the protocol that they wish to use, it is not mandated and is simply a matter for agreement on a project by project basis. The parties may choose to use one of the published forms that are available, or may agree their own bespoke protocol (alternatively, the parties may decide to have no protocol at all, and choose to include all the BIM obligations in the contract conditions and technical documents). As the use of BIM has increased, a number of protocols have been developed by organisations seeking to bring efficiency, consistency and best practice into such protocols. None of these are yet ‘industry standard’ but this is perhaps getting closer—having a ‘standard’ would be likely to assist in terms of insurance, offer consistency and certainty over parties' duties and responsibilities and therefore the risk profile of those involved in the project. The following published forms

A BIMBO enables a company to re-shuffle its allocation of share capital to bring about a change in management. Internally, a group of managers will acquire enough share capital to ‘buy out’ the company from within. An outside team of managers will simultaneously ‘buy in’ to the company management. Both parties may require financial assistance from venture capitalists in order to achieve this end.

A BIMBO enables a company to re-shuffle its allocation of share capital to bring about a change in management. Internally, a group of managers will acquire enough share capital to ‘buy out’ the company from within. An outside team of managers will simultaneously ‘buy in’ to the company management. Both parties may require financial assistance from venture capitalists in order to achieve this end.