Spotlight on Corruption publishes a report on the recent Commons Treasury Select Committee hearing with the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI). The report highlights UK's underwhelming record on sanctions enforcement. With only one £15,000 fine imposed since 2022, zero criminal convictions since 2012, and less than £m in assets seized, enforcement remains feeble. However, OFSI's caseload has increased to over 400 investigations, and the Foreign Secretary has confirmed a government review of sanctions is underway. The hearing also revealed potential for improved cooperation between OFSI and law enforcement, though concerns about transparency persist. These developments suggest a possible shift towards more robust sanctions enforcement in the near future, pending the outcomes of ongoing cases and the government's review.

This document provides general guidance regarding an application to the court for maintenance on divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership. Your family lawyer will be able to provide specific advice based on your circumstances. Who can apply for maintenance? Either spouse or civil partner may make an application to the court for a spousal or civil partner maintenance order, also known as a periodical payments order. The person making the application is the applicant and the other person is the respondent. A potential applicant must, except in certain specified circumstances, consider with a mediator whether the dispute may be capable of being resolved through non-court dispute resolution. All applicants must comply with these requirements before commencing proceedings unless a specified exception applies and the court will expect any respondent to have attended a mediation information and assessment meeting (MIAM). What happens when the application is received by the court? When either party makes an application to the court, the court automatically generates standard directions to progress your case and the timetable for the case is confirmed. How does

A trust of lump sum pension death benefits from a registered scheme under which the deceased member's widow or widower is a potential beneficiary.

Spousal share describes, in practice, the portion of property a surviving spouse or civil partner is entitled to on death, or (colloquially) the share allocated on divorce. It is not a defined term in UK or Irish legislation, but a descriptive expression used across succession and family law.England & Wales: on intestacy, the spouse/civil partner takes personal chattels, a statutory legacy (a fixed sum set by secondary legislation) and some or all of the residue; if there are children or other issue, they take half the residue, otherwise generally the whole estate. If there is a will, there is no fixed spousal share, but the spouse may claim reasonable financial provision under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.Northern Ireland: a similar intestacy structure applies, but where there are no issue and parents/siblings survive, they may still share the residue with the spouse; statutory legacy amounts are set by order.Scotland: the concept maps to statutory prior rights (dwellinghouse, furnishings and a cash sum) and legal rights in the moveable estate (one-third if issue exist; one-half if none), whether or not there is a will.Ireland: the Succession Act 1965 provides a legal right share (one-half if no issue; one-third if issue) against a will; on intestacy the spouse takes all if no issue, or two‑thirds if there are issue.

Spousal support describes court‑ordered or contractually agreed financial provision by one spouse or civil partner to the other, usually on separation or divorce, to meet income needs or compensate for economic disadvantage arising from the relationship. In England and Wales and Northern Ireland, the concept is mainly expressed as “spousal maintenance” or “periodical payments” under matrimonial and civil partnership legislation, with detailed rules on assessment, variation, duration and termination (for example on death, remarriage or cohabitation). In Scotland it is broadly equivalent to “periodical allowance” or “aliment” between spouses or civil partners, governed by statute and case law emphasising a clean break and generally shorter‑term awards. In Ireland, “maintenance” between spouses or civil partners is available on separation and divorce, with spousal support ordered where proper provision cannot otherwise be made, and subject to variation as circumstances change. “Spousal support” itself is a descriptive umbrella term rather than a primary statutory label; practitioners should rely on the precise terminology of the relevant jurisdiction when drafting, advising on quantum and duration, enforcing, or seeking variation or dismissal of ongoing obligations.

In Catchpole v Trustees of the Alitalia Airlines Pension Scheme, the High Court reversed a Pensions Ombudsman decision and held a couple would have married if the trustees of the scheme had provided the correct information, awarding a spouse’s pension to Catchpole.

[Insert your current residential address] [Insert Home Office address to which the application is being sent] [Insert date] Dear [insert organisation name] Application for [extension of stay OR indefinite leave to remain] as a [spouse OR civil partner OR unmarried partner] under Appendix [FM OR Part 8] of the Immigration Rules I confirm that I am a [insert nationality] national and am the [spouse OR civil partner OR unmarried partner] of [insert name of sponsoring partner]. I was granted [entry clearance OR leave to remain] as their partner on [insert

Section 7 of the Trustee Delegation Act 1999 (TDA 1999) provides that a receipt for capital money will overreach beneficial interests only if an attorney acts with at least one other person. Two trustees (or a trust corporation) are required to overreach beneficial interests in the sale of land (see section 2 of the Law of Property Act 1925). Therefore, the executor/attorney (C) will need a second trustee to achieve a valid sale of the land. This means that a receipt clause in a disposition by joint owners is not acceptable if the disposition is executed by only one person both as owner and as attorney for

[Insert your current residential address] Entry Clearance Officer, [Insert address of decision-making centre to which the application is being sent] [Insert date] Dear [insert organisation name] Application for entry clearance as a [spouse OR civil partner OR unmarried partner] under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules I am a [insert nationality] national and am the [spouse OR civil partner OR unmarried partner] of [insert name of sponsoring partner]. My date of birth is [insert date of birth] and I am currently [insert age]. I confirm that I am not related to [insert name of sponsoring partner] in a way that is prohibited for [marriage OR civil partnership] in the UK. I

You have now been granted entry clearance (a visa) until [insert date] as the partner of a person with [British citizenship OR settled status in the UK OR protection status in the UK OR pre-settled status under Appendix EU]. [Your dependant child[ren] has/have been granted entry clearance in line with you, and what is stated below in relation to you will also apply to them, including the need to access their eVisa account and update it where relevant. You will be able to manage this account for them.] This information sheet outlines some of the key conditions of your stay in the UK as well as your responsibilities to the Home Office. It is important that you understand these conditions. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries. Please note that while the information below is correct as at today’s date, UK immigration law is subject to regular change. Arrival in the UK and obtaining your online account The Home Office has

You have now been granted leave to remain until [insert date] as the partner of a person with [British citizenship OR settled status in the UK OR protection status in the UK OR pre-settled status under Appendix EU]. [Your dependant child[ren] has/have been granted leave in line with you, and what is stated below in relation to you will also apply to them, including the need to access their eVisa account and update it where relevant. You will be able to manage this account for them.] This information sheet outlines some of the key conditions of your stay in the UK as well as your responsibilities to the Home Office. It is important that you understand these conditions. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries. Please note that while the information below is correct as at today’s date, UK immigration law is subject to regular change. Accessing your eVisa Your leave to remain (visa to stay in the UK) will

[Insert your current residential address] [Insert Home Office address to which the application is being sent] [Insert date] Dear [insert organisation name] Letter in support of leave to remain application of [insert name of applicant, nationality and date of birth] I confirm that I [am a British citizen OR have indefinite leave to remain in the UK OR have protection status in the UK OR have pre-settled status under Appendix EU other than as a ‘joining family member’ or as a family member of a qualifying British citizen] and am the [spouse OR civil partner OR unmarried partner] of [insert name of applicant]. My date of birth is [insert date of birth] and I am currently [insert age]. I confirm that I am not related to [insert name