Commercial analysis: The situation in the Middle East has created a landscape of uncertainty for businesses with interests in the Gulf States and beyond. Supply chains are under pressure, energy markets are volatile, and the continued uncertainty presents challenges to businesses with operations in the region. For commercial parties, a number of significant legal and practical issues arise that demand careful consideration. In the region, many commercial contracts across a broad range of sectors and industries are governed by English law. This blog examines the principal areas of law and regulation and offers practical guidance on how businesses can protect their positions from an English law perspective.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has announced additional homelessness funding allocations totalling £80.8m for 2025-26 across England. The department allocated an additional £69.9m through the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant, bringing the total grant to £255.5m, distributed across 62 local authorities, 12 strategic authorities and five London sub-regions. Separately, MHCLG allocated £10.9m for Supporting Children Experiencing Homelessness across 61 local authorities with the highest numbers of children in temporary accommodation. This children's funding is provided via a top-up to the Homelessness Prevention Grant and maintains the existing ringfence requiring local authorities to spend a minimum 49% of their allocation on prevention, relief and staffing activities. The rough sleeping funding is intended to support services including Housing First, accommodation, outreach staff, prison leaver support and specialist mental health, immigration and employment services. The children's funding aims to deliver positive education and health outcomes through interventions including access to basic facilities, travel assistance, school equipment and specialist support roles.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has announced new legal deadlines requiring landlords to remediate unsafe cladding on residential buildings by 2029 or 2031, depending on height. Published on 17 July 2025, the update includes a new Remediation Bill and £1bn in government investment to support social landlords. Those failing to comply risk criminal sanctions, with new enforcement powers enabling government intervention.

The recent case of Minmar (929) Limited [2012] 1 BCLC 798 (Minmar) has caused insolvency practitioners much concern over the relatively simple process of the directors of a company appointing administrators.

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained. This Practice Note is for information only and focuses on the Model Code which used to be set out in the Listing Rules, published by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and which a company with a premium listing of equity shares was previously required to comply with. It restricted persons discharging managerial responsibilities dealing in the company's securities. The Model Code was deleted by the FCA as a consequence of the implementation of the Market Abuse Regulation. ICSA, the GC100, the QCA and other market participants published a guidance note and various specimen dealing codes to be used by listed and quoted companies from 3rd July 2016. See ICSA, GC100, QCA: Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Dealing code and policy document. Market Abuse Regulation The FCA published a consultation paper setting out its proposals for the changes to the FCA Handbook required to implement the EU Market Abuse Regulation in November 2015 and its subsequent policy statement confirming

ARCHIVED: This archived Practice Note provides background reading on the Model Code and is for background purposes only. The Model Code was deleted by the FCA as a consequence of the implementation of Regulation (EU) 596/2014, Market Abuse Regulation. The Chartered Governance Institute (formerly know as ICSA), the GC100, the QCA and other market participants published a guidance note and various specimen dealing codes to be used by listed and quoted companies from 3 July 2016. See Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Dealing code and policy documents on the Chartered Governance Institute website. This practice note explains the application of the Model Code to share incentives issues and scenarios. The purpose of the Model Code was to prevent manipulation of the market in a company’s shares by restricting the time at which defined individuals (predominantly directors and senior executives of a listed company) could deal in securities of that listed company. Listed companies were required to either adopt the Model Code or impose more rigorous dealing obligations than the Model Code required. Although it has now

The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has created a Model Complaints Resolution Procedure (MCRP) for handling complaints about legal services. This Practice Note explains the MCRP for SRA-regulated law firms. It sets out how the MCRP works, its key timescales and core features, and areas firms should consider when deciding whether and how to adopt it. The MCRP does not replace the complaints handling requirements imposed by the SRA or other applicable regulatory requirements. For guidance on those requirements and on establishing and operating a complaints procedure, see Practice Notes: Complaints—law firms and How to implement and maintain effective complaints handling procedures—law firms. What is the MCRP? The MCRP is LeO’s model framework for handling complaints about legal services. It is intended to help firms deal with complaints fairly, consistently and as quickly as possible, with an emphasis on resolving concerns at the earliest appropriate opportunity. Use of the MCRP is voluntary. How the MCRP works The MCRP has five core features: • a link to LeO’s MCRP resources • acknowledgment of the complaint • an

This Practice Note explains how the transparency in supply chains (TISC) provisions in section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (MSA 2015) apply to multinational organisations and groups of companies. It considers a number of key issues these organisations may face in preparing a slavery and human trafficking statement. It signposts relevant practical guidance and resources to help organisations to manage modern slavery and human trafficking risk and prepare an annual slavery and human trafficking statement. Why this matters Commercial organisations that meet the following criteria are required to publish an annual slavery and human trafficking statement on their website: • supply goods or services • carry on business wholly or in part in the UK, and • have an annual global turnover of £36m or more The statement must outline the steps taken (if any) during each financial year to ensure slavery and human trafficking is not taking place in any part of their business or global supply chains (disclosure obligation). Where a qualifying organisation doesn’t have

This Practice Note provides information on the role of the Nominated Officer and the Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) in a firm authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or firm registered with the FCA for money laundering (ML) purposes (which are often, but not always, performed by the same individual) under the UK’s anti-money laundering (AML), counter terrorist financing (CTF) and counter proliferation financing (CPF) legal and regulatory regime. It sets out: • the relevant requirements of: ◦ the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017, SI 2017/692 (MLRs) ◦ the Senior Managers, Systems and Controls sourcebook in the FCA’s Handbook (SYSC) • the appointment, approval and conduct of the MLRO as a Senior Manager under the FCA’s Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SM&CR) (SMF17) • guidance on the role of the MLRO in: ◦ the FCA’s Financial Crime Guide (FCG) ◦ Joint Money Laundering Steering Guidance (JMLSG) • the legal requirements in the MLRs, the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA 2002)

An agreement to settle or compromise a claim which is not done through CPR 36 provisions is an ordinary contract and is governed by the familiar rules of offer and acceptance. The intentions of contracting parties are construed objectively. This means a party’s ‘real’ intentions or desires do not matter: what matters is whether an objective observer would have construed that party’s words or actions to be the making of a valid offer capable of acceptance. This is best captured

Commercial analysis: The claimant brought claims for breach of contract, breach of confidence, breach of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment relating to the alleged exploitation, by the defendant, of certain commercial opportunities in the vehicle insurance industry. Written by Graeme Kirk, barrister at Lamb Chambers.

The National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) published its 16th annual report revealing alarming statistics across detention facilities. Based on over 50,000 visits across UK detention facilities, the report identifies worsening conditions in prisons as a result of overcrowding as well as immigration centres that fail to meet international and domestic human rights standards. The report highlights overcrowding, staff shortages, deteriorating infrastructure and prolonged isolation undermining dignity and safety across detention types. It notes increased violence, self-harm and indefinite detention in immigration facilities, and widespread long-term institutionalisation of people with learning disabilities and autistic people in settings lacking therapeutic care. In response, The Law Society of England and Wales has called on the UK government to ensure prisons meet human rights standards following publication of the report. The Law Society emphasised Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, and called for sustained funding and reform across the criminal justice system.