The Bar Standard Board (BSB) has published a consultation on Proposed Amendments to the Equality Rules. BSB invites views on proposals for amendments to Core Duty 8 and the BSB’s proposed new Equality Rules, which will replace the current Equality Rules. BSB proposes to amend the Core Duty to ensure that all barristers have a duty to promote equality, diversity and inclusion when practising or otherwise providing legal services. Responses are to be submitted by 29 November 2024.

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has issued updated guidance on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies by barristers. The guidance responds to the increasing use of AI tools across legal practice and to recent cases highlighting risks of misuse, including the judgment in Ayinde v London Borough of Haringey. It explains how existing Core Duties and rules in the BSB Handbook apply when adopting and using AI, including duties relating to competence, acting in clients’ best interests, honesty and integrity, confidentiality and the duty to the court.

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) announced on 27 May 2025 that it will not proceed with plans to introduce a new core duty requiring barristers to 'act in a way that advances equality, diversity and inclusion.' The decision follows consultation feedback, including opposition from the Bar Council which argued the proposal would be impractical and potentially unlawful. The BSB provides that it will maintain the existing duty prohibiting unlawful discrimination while pursuing a collaborative approach to addressing diversity barriers. A five-year monitoring plan will be published to evaluate progress.

The British Standards Institute (BSI) Industry Competence Committee (ICC) published new guidance on 15 June 2026 to help built environment organisations understand and apply recognised standards for managing competence. The ICC’s updated advice, Setting Expectations on Competence Management, is accessible through the BSI Built Environment Competence Hub, while the Industry Task and Finish Group (ITFG) has published Managing Competence in the Built Environment, a practical industry guide developed with input from more than 50 sector bodies, regulators and assurance organisations. Together, the ICC advice and ITFG guidance provide an aligned framework for competence management: the ICC sets out what good competence management should look like, and the ITFG guide explains how organisations can put those principles into practice in a proportionate, risk-based way. A related Building Safety Regulator (BSR) webinar, Managing Competence in the Built Environment (March 2026), is also available on YouTube, offering regulatory context, practical examples and advice to help organisations strengthen their competence arrangements ahead of future regulatory milestones.

The British Standards Institution (BSI) has published two international standards to support global biodiversity preservation. ISO 17620 establishes a unified framework for achieving Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) in development projects, ensuring biodiversity is measurably improved post-development and aligning with legislation such as the Environment Act 2021. ISO 17298 provides a scalable framework for organisations to integrate biodiversity considerations into strategic planning and operations, supporting global biodiversity goals and enabling alignment with other standards such as ISO 14001 and ISO 26000. Developed through international collaboration and led by UK experts, both standards aim to foster transparency, consistency, and accountability in biodiversity practices across sectors and geographies.

The British Standards Institution (BSI) has launched a consultation on PAS 2000:2026, Construction products – Bringing safe products to market – Code of practice. The standard, set for publication in early 2026, will establish best practice recommendations for pre-market diligence, addressing four key areas: (1) pre-market risk assessment; (2) factory production control processes; (3) product information and collection; and (4) use of market feedback. The consultation closes on 18 August 2025, and BSI will host a free explanatory webinar on 30 July 2025.

The British Standards Institution (BSI) has launched a consultation on PAS 9980, a new draft code of practice focused on the fire risk appraisal of external wall (FRAEW) construction in existing blocks of flats. The PAS outlines recommendations for determining whether a FRAEW is required and provides guidance on conducting these assessments for existing residential buildings. The code of practice, expected to be published in October 2025, will apply to multi-storey, multi-occupied residential buildings of any height, including student accommodation, sheltered and other specialised housing, and converted flats. The consultation closes on 6 June 2025.

The British Standards Institution (BSI) has launched a consultation on the draft ‘PAS 9970:2026, Fire safety in construction.’ The draft is divided into two parts addressing organisational fire safety management and temporary fire alarm systems during construction works. The consultation closes on 18 March 2026.

The British Standards Institution (BSI), in collaboration with the ISO Sustainable Finance Committee, has launched a consultation for the Net Zero Transition Planning for Financial Institutions standard (ISO 32212). The consultation invites feedback from banks, asset managers, pension funds, regulators, policymakers, NGOs, and industry experts on the draft framework, which is open until 12 September 2025. To support engagement, BSI is hosting expert roundtables on 9–10 July 2025 to explore practical implementation and reinforce the standard’s role in guiding credible transition planning across the financial sector.

The British Standards Institution (BSI) has published PAS 2000:2026 – Construction products – Bringing safe products to market – Code of practice. The code sets out recommendations for construction product manufacturers and other economic operators to demonstrate that reasonable steps have been taken to ensure construction products placed on the market are safe for their intended use. Sponsored by the Office for Product Safety and Standards, the code outlines a due diligence approach aligned with Recommendation 3.3 of the Morrell-Day Review and aims to promote safety, transparency and continuous improvement throughout the construction supply chain. It addresses areas including pre-market risk assessment, factory production control processes, product information and documentation and the collection and use of market feedback. The code applies to construction product manufacturers, importers, distributors, product designers, contractors, building designers, building owners, accountable persons, regulators, conformity assessment bodies and insurers and warranty providers.

The British Standards Institution (BSI) has published Carbon-abated Electricity (PAS 247) establishing the first standardised methodology for monitoring and calculating decarbonised electricity from fossil-fuel power plants equipped with carbon capture, transportation and storage technology. The specification aims to enable organisations and governments to manage low-carbon electricity generation in line with net zero targets by 2050 and supports third-party verification processes.

The British Standards Institution (BSI) has published an international standard, BS ISO/IEC 27566‑1, to provide a consistent and trustworthy framework for age‑assurance systems used by online platforms and content services. Developed with substantial UK expert input, the framework defines core characteristics for determining users’ ages without routinely requiring full identity verification, aiming to improve effectiveness while protecting privacy through data minimisation and selective disclosure. It responds to fragmented global practices, weak controls and low public confidence, reflected in the Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development findings that only a small proportion of child‑facing services conduct systematic age checks and BSI research showing widespread age misrepresentation among young people. The standard sets out what robust, secure and acceptable systems should look like across digital and physical contexts, supporting organisations in system design and enabling policymakers to establish outcome‑focused requirements that uphold individual rights.