The Insolvency Service has banned Mohamed Hamza, the owner of M&H Car Wash Ltd in Lincolnshire, from acting as a company director for five years, due to employing illegal workers in contravention of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006. The Secretary of State for Business and Trade accepted a disqualification undertaking from Hamza, effective from 13 January 2025—January 2030, prohibiting him from involvement in the promotion, formation, or management of any company without court permission.

The Insolvency Service has published guidance outlining director responsibilities for ensuring company compliance and the potential consequences of failing to follow the rules. According to the guidance, a director is responsible for ensuring their company—and related entities—comply with all applicable laws, regulations and rules. This includes maintaining accurate accounting records and managing tax obligations appropriately. Failing to meet these obligations can lead to: (1) criminal prosecution with fines, confiscation orders, community orders or imprisonment; (2) financial penalties like court fines and compensation; (3) personal liability for company debts; (4) disqualification for up to 15 years; (5) operational shutdowns; (6) regulatory sanctions; (7) criminal or civil investigations and (8) serious reputational damage.

The Insolvency Service has announced that Mujeebullah Khan, former manager of a Nottingham city centre chicken shop, has been jailed for fraudulently applying for, and subsequently securing a £50,000 Bounce Back Loan in May 2020 for Chunky Chicken, despite having sold the business in April 2019. Khan falsely claimed the shop was trading at the start of March 2020 and later transferred the funds to repay a business debt. He was sentenced to 22 months’ imprisonment at Nottingham Crown Court on 17 December 2025. The Insolvency Service also notes that Khan had signed an eight-year Bankruptcy Restrictions Undertaking in 2021.

The Insolvency Service has reported that a former director of a pizza restaurant and hand car wash in Teesside, Edris Ali, has been disqualified as a company director for ten years. The High Court in London issued the disqualification order in October 2024, which took effect on 12 November 2024, following the discovery of six illegal workers employed across Ali's two businesses during Immigration Enforcement visits in 2020 and 2022. Ali was also ordered to pay £9,884 in costs. The ban prohibits Ali from involvement in company promotion, formation, or management without court permission until November 2034. Immigration Enforcement imposed fines of £20,000 and £60,000 on the respective companies for these breaches.

The Insolvency Service reports the prosecution of Leslie Crossland and his son Richard for multiple breaches of company and insolvency law. Leslie Crossland, already subject to a 14-year directorship ban, was sentenced to 16 months' imprisonment for managing two companies whilst disqualified and failing to disclose £23,300 in pension withdrawals prior to bankruptcy. His son Richard received a ten-month suspended sentence for aiding these breaches and failing to maintain proper accounting records. Both were subsequently disqualified as directors in 2020 for 15 and 11 years respectively. Richard's wife Ashley received a two-year conditional discharge for her role in facilitating the breaches.

The Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD), Directive (EU) 2016/97 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 January 2016 on insurance distribution (recast) Text with EEA relevance is an EU Directive which means it must be transposed into the law of each Member State. This is not always a consistent process and can result in a Directive being applied slightly differently between Member States. This Q&A is answered on the basis of how the IDD will be applied in the UK. Article 10(2) of IDD, Directive (EU) 2016/97 is very wide and states: ‘Home Member States shall ensure that insurance and reinsurance intermediaries and employees of insurance and reinsurance undertakings and employees of insurance and reinsurance intermediaries comply with continuing professional training’. Accordingly,

The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) is a global cooperative of securities regulatory agencies that aims to establish and maintain worldwide standards for efficient, orderly and fair markets.

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained. For an explanation of how covert intelligence gathering is regulated, see Practice Note: The regulation of intelligence gathering—an introductory guide. The Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (IPA 2016) received Royal Assent on 29 November 2016 and overhauled the legal framework governing the use of covert surveillance by public bodies, a framework which was largely, but not exclusively, regulated by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA 2000). The timing of IPA 2016 receiving Royal Assent is significant. The government needed legislation to replace sections 1 and 2 of the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act 2014 (DRIPA 2014), which were subject to a sunset clause and were repealed on 31 December 2016. This Practice Note considers: • the pre-existing statutory framework governing the use of investigatory powers by public bodies, including law enforcement and intelligence agencies • the various reviews of the existing statutory framework carried out in 2015 and other key developments

Corporate Crime analysis: The Administrative Court considers the third stage of Liberty’s challenge of the compatibility of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (IPA 2016) with EU case law. The court considered a number of elements of IPA 2016 and found only one to be incompatible. In particular, highlighting that it is the purpose for which any agency seeks data rather than the type of agency itself that needs to be examined when examining IPA 2016. Written by Adam Richardson, barrister at 1 Essex CourtThe Chambers of Ian Mayes QC.

The Principles set out members’ views on the role of shareholders and directors in relation to remuneration and the manner in which remuneration should be determined and structured.

The Investment Association's recent survey reveals that 52% of retail investors and 86% of financial advisers are aware of the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) new Sustainability Disclosure Requirement (SDR) investment labels. The labels aim to enhance transparency and consumer confidence in sustainable investment products. However, the research also highlights that technical language and jargon continue to be significant barriers to sustainable fund investment. Notably, only 6% of retail investors indicated they would divest from a fund failing to meet the new sustainability label criteria. The study also found that younger generations demonstrate higher awareness and understanding of sustainable investing concepts compared to their older counterparts.

The Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) has announced an inquiry into forced labour in UK supply chains, focusing on the effectiveness of the UK's legal and voluntary frameworks. The inquiry will assess the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and other legislation in preventing goods linked to forced labour from entering the UK market. Written submissions are invited until 13 February 2025.