The Domestic Abuse Commissioner has called for increased funding and specialist court support after a report by SafeLives revealed that 89% of domestic abuse victims do not receive support going through the family court and 71% do not receive support in any court at all, including the magistrates and crown courts. The government’s statutory duty requires the provision of domestic abuse support services, such as Independent Domestic Abuse Advisors (IDVAs). The report also criticised the lack of understanding surrounding domestic abuse, poor safeguarding, court professionals’ attitudes and the bias towards perpetrators as 20% of IDVAs were prevented from supporting clients in courts. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has led to increased case lengths, with backlogs running into 2022, and some survivors being sent to courts out of the area.

The House of Commons Library has published a research briefing on the impact of the 2016 EU membership referendum, prepared for a Westminster Hall debate on 2 September 2026 led by Pete Wishart MP of the Scottish National Party. The briefing notes that EU free movement rules ceased to apply to the UK at the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. Since the referendum, net migration from EU+ countries has declined steadily and has been negative since the year ending June 2022. Higher non-EU+ migration has more than offset that decline. Non-EU+ net migration peaked at 1.05 million in the year ending March 2023 before subsequently declining. The Migration Advisory Committee identifies increased work visas, particularly in health and social care, increased student visas and new humanitarian routes, including the British National (Overseas) and Ukraine schemes, as the main factors behind the post-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

This Practice Note covers the National Health Service Pension Scheme (NHSPS) as it stood before the changes made on 1 April 2015 to that scheme. What is the National Health Service Pension Scheme? The NHSPS is an unfunded, public service occupational pension scheme that provides retirement benefits to persons employed as health service workers on a salary-related or defined benefit (DB) basis. Since 1 April 2015, there are two separate NHSPS schemes: • the reformed NHSPS (sometimes referred to in NHS literature as the ‘2015 Scheme’), which was established under the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 (PSPA 2013) on 1 April 2015 as a new career average revalued earnings (CARE) scheme. New joiners have become members of this scheme since 1 April 2015. For further information, see Practice Note: The reformed National Health Service Pension Scheme • the legacy NHSPS (sometimes referred to in NHS literature as the ‘1995/2008 Scheme’). The scheme is composed of two separate final salary sections, the 1995 Section and the 2008 Section,

This week’s edition of Private Client highlights includes: (1) analysis of In the Estate of Kathleen Coady, a decision on whether a Will signed under coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions was valid; (2) Ivey v Lythgoe, a contentious probate case in which the court ordered compulsory mediation; (3) National Iranian Oil Company v Crescent Gas Corp Ltd, where the court held that a declaration of trust signed by an agent did not defeat a claim for a transaction at undervalue; (4) publication of an updated version of the Professional Conduct in Relation to Taxation; (5) Armstrong v Armstrong, which concerned satisfaction of the equity arising from proprietary estoppel, with an alternative award under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, and (6) analysis of Aubrey Weis v HMRC, in which the High Court permitted the taxpayer to bring a judicial review claim against HMRC in respect of his historical domicile status.

The Welsh Government unveiled a substantial £52.1m investment in general practice for the 2024-2025 General Medical Services (GMS) contract. This represents the largest annual investment in GMS since the pandemic. The package includes a 6% pay uplift for GPs, £12.7m for staff pay expenses, and a £23m one-off practice stabilisation payment. The agreement also introduces improvements to GP access, including enhanced NHS Wales App functionality and new contractual requirements for GPs to identify and record patient frailty and ethnicity data. Additionally, the learning disabilities annual health check will become part of unified services within the GMS contract, and changes to the coronavirus (Covid-19) anti-viral treatment pathway have been agreed upon. These measures aim to strengthen the sustainability of general practice and improve service accessibility across Wales.

The National Crime Agency (NCA), in collaboration with NHS England, has charged two men as part of an investigation into the creation and online sale of fraudulent coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination records. 26-year-old Waqas Hanif and 29-year-old Touqir Nasir, both from Luton, face charges under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and Fraud Act 2006. The investigation centres on the alleged creation of nearly 2,000 fraudulent records at a Luton health centre between June and October 2021. Authorities suspect organised criminals recruited healthcare professionals to produce these records, enabling unvaccinated individuals to circumvent travel restrictions. The NCA also seized £145,000 from a safety deposit box in connection with the case. The charges underscore efforts to maintain the integrity of the UK's pandemic response and healthcare system.

Arbitration analysis: This case involved a dispute between Garuda Indonesia’s French subsidiary, Garuda Indonesia Holiday France (Garuda France), which faced financial difficulties due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and one of its aircraft lessors, Greylag Goose Leasing 1446 Designated Activity Company (Greylag). Greylag sought US$43,635,485, for unpaid rent and most of the maintenance reserves owed. While the dispute was subject to arbitration proceedings conducted under the rules of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), Greylag sought to initiate parallel recovery proceedings against Garuda France. This application was however dismissed by the Paris Commercial Court on 25 November 2022. The Paris Court of Appeal rejected Greylag’s appeal from this decision on 14 December 2023. Considering the requirement, under French law, that a claim must be certain for a creditor to commence recovery proceedings, the judge inferred from the ongoing arbitration proceedings that Greylag’s claim remained uncertain. Written by Sara Nadeau-Seguin, partner at Teynier Pic.

Restructuring & Insolvency analysis: Cineworld was one of the largest cinema chains in the world, with hundreds of sites and thousands of screens. It suffered a steep decline in ticket sales due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and the loss of revenue resulted in the reduction in the liquidity of the group. Although creditors were initially prepared to support the cinema chain, in due course the creditors wanted to see a restructuring. Following the approval of the US Bankruptcy Court to a reorganisation plan, a condition of which was that Cineworld Group plc (‘the Company’) would be placed into administration, the directors of the Company applied for an administration order. The court was required to consider its jurisdiction to make an administration order. Written by Katie Farmer, partner at Trowers & Hamlins LLP

The Council of the EU and the European Parliament have reached an agreement on the EU’s annual budget for 2026, amounting to €192.8bn in commitments and €190.1bn in payments, equivalent to 1.00% and 0.99% of the Union’s gross national income respectively. The budget prioritises competitiveness, defence readiness, humanitarian aid and migration management, while maintaining flexibility to respond to unforeseen crises. Within the 2021–27 multiannual financial framework, €715.7m remains available for unexpected expenditure, with allocations across key areas including the single market, cohesion, environment, security and global engagement. As the sixth annual budget under the current framework, it complements the EU’s coronavirus (COVID-19) recovery plan under NextGenerationEU. The agreement will now proceed to formal approval by both institutions, with the Council expected to endorse it on 24 November 2025 by qualified majority.

The first UK Supreme Court (UKSC) Justice appointed directly from academia, Lord Burrows, provides insight into the rigorous selection process for the court. The process, governed by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and subsequent regulations, involves open advertisement, a demanding application form, and an interview with a selection commission. Unlike the US system, the process is private and avoids questions on moral or political views. Lord Burrows also details the court's working practices, including extensive pre-reading of electronic bundles, the focus on points of law, and the challenges of specialisation. Burrows notes the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on court proceedings, which initially required remote hearings. This account offers a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the UK's highest court and the transition of a legal academic to a Supreme Court Justice.

Dispute Resolution analysis: Travelport and 12 others sought declarations and specific performance to the effect that Wex was contractually obliged to complete the purchase of two groups of companies engaged in the business of facilitating payments in the travel industry. The agreed price for the purchase was approximately $US 1.77bn. The court had ordered the trial of 11 preliminary issues (some of which included sub-issues) on an expedited basis because the completion date was imminent. The contract included a material adverse effects (MAE) clause. Wex sought to invoke this clause in order to avoid completion, relying on the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This analysis is concerned only with the burden of proof and with issues surrounding the proper construction of a MAE clause. Written by Charles Joseph, barrister, at Tanfield Chambers.

The Cabinet Office has published the communiqué from the tenth Interministerial Standing Committee (IMSC) meeting, held via videoconference on 20 November 2025. The IMSC is one of the structures of intergovernmental relations agreed by the UK government and devolved administrations. It brings together strategic considerations affecting many different portfolios and discusses cross-cutting international issues. It is led by the relevant ministers from the four governments of the UK with responsibility for intergovernmental relations. At the meeting, the IMSC discussed the UK coronavirus (COVID-19) Inquiry Module 2ABC report, community cohesion challenges, strategic priorities for the UK government’s Budget and principles of good intergovernmental working in relation to UK government legislation. It also discussed ongoing work to develop a Memorandum of Understanding on the Sewel Convention and received updates on Interministerial Group activity. The next meeting is scheduled for early 2026 and will be chaired by the UK government.