‘A charity has been ordered to pay over £2,000 compensation to an employee after its boss screamed “I am the CEO” at her.’
The Independent, 30th October 2026
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘In R. (on the Application of LXR) v First-tier Tribunal (Social Entitlement Chamber) [2025] EWCA Civ 1608 (“LXR”), the Court of Appeal was again confronted by the difficulties in distinguishing questions of fact from questions of law in judicial review cases. Classifying a question before a decision maker as one of fact or law allows courts to calibrate the intensity of review: questions of fact are generally best answered by administrative decision makers and questions of law are generally best answered by courts. This makes sense. Why should judges determine facts, where that task has been allocated by Parliament to an expert public official? The problem, however, is that facts raise legal questions and legal rules are fact-sensitive. Explaining why a question is one of fact or law is not straightforward. Attempting to separate questions of law and fact into neat, abstract categories amounts to a Sisyphean task. This explains courts’ reference to “policy” or “pragmatism” when justifying their conclusions in such cases, which can obscure, rather than illuminate, their reasoning.’
Cambridge Law Journal, 23rd October 2026
Source: www.cambridge.org
‘A senior High Court judge has been issued with a reprimand for delays of up to 13 months in handing down five judgments.’
Legal Futures, 30th October 2026
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Three men have been jailed following a string of high-profile smash-and-grab robberies in London’s West End, police have confirmed.’
The Independent, 29th October 2026
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘More people were recalled to jails in England and Wales in the first half of this year than were released, despite government efforts to reduce the prison population, according to figures released on Thursday.’
The Guardian, 29th October 2026
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Employers will face a significantly higher bar when seeking to dismiss pregnant employees and those taking or returning from certain types of family leave under plans unveiled by the UK government, with a new proportionality test set to reshape how dismissal decisions are assessed.’
OUT-LAW.com, 29th October 2026
Source: www.pinsentmasons.com
‘Alexander Lewis-Ranwell killed three men during a psychotic episode in the delusional belief that they were paedophiles. In the days immediately prior, he was detained twice and seen or spoken to by mental health professionals employed by G4S Health Services Ltd. and Devon Partnership NHS Trust. He was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity and ordered to be detained in hospital by the Criminal Court. Lewis-Ranwell sued G4S, the NHS Trust and related others in negligence and under the Human Rights Act 1998 for compensation for various heads of loss said to result from his acts and detention, including loss of earnings, and for an indemnity against possible claims by the victims’ estates and dependants. The defendants’ application for the negligence claim to be struck out on the basis of the illegality defence was rejected at first instance and by a majority of the Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court allowed the defendants’ appeal: Lewis-Ranwell v G4S Health Services Ltd. [2026] UKSC 2, [2026] 2 W.L.R. 187 (“Lewis-Ranwell”). Unfortunately, the reasoning which led to this conclusion is not fully persuasive.’
Cambridge Law Journal, 23rd October 2026
Source: www.cambridge.org
‘With the thirteen additional decisions discussed below, my collection of UK AI-related and false-citation incidents now comprises 100 entries. The public tracker is being updated to incorporate these additions. The new decisions come from Employment Tribunals in England and Wales and Scotland, the Family Court, the County Court, the High Court, the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), the Sheriff Appeal Court and the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Tax Chamber).’
Natural and Artificial Intelligence, October 2026
Source: naturalandartificiallaw.com
‘An £11m claim has fallen foul of a 242-year old rule that a solicitor with conduct of litigation may not take an assignment of their client’s cause of action, the High Court has held.’
Legal Futures, 30th October 2026
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Court of Appeal (Civil Division)
High Court (Administrative Court)
Director of Public Prosecutions v Berntsen [2026] EWHC 2768 (Admin) (29 October 2026)
Shaw & Anor v Stephani [2026] EWHC 2776 (Admin) (28 October 2026)
High Court (Business & Property Division)
Volotea SL, In the Matter Of [2026] EWHC 2762 (BP) (29 October 2026)
High Court (King’s Bench Division)
Chandale v Sovereign Network Group & Ors [2026] EWHC 2775 (KB) (29 October 2026)
Uflex Europe Ltd v Sacheva & Ors [2026] EWHC 2770 (KB) (28 October 2026)
Source: www.bailii.org
‘Nearly six out of 10 Bar students from the UK do not secure a pupillage within five years of enrolling on their training courses, a Bar Standards Board (BSB) report has found.’
Legal Futures, 29th October 2026
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘If Andy Burnham were to advise the King to appoint a bishop, he could be “disabled for ever from holding any office” on the grounds of his Catholic faith. A short bill has now been introduced to remedy this situation. Craig Prescott explains the history behind the restrictions put on Catholics and Jews in public life, and the role of ministers in ecclesiastical appointments.’
UCL Constitution Unit, 26th October 2026
Source: blogs.ucl.ac.uk
‘A High Court judge has declined to make a costs order against the Free Speech Union (FSU), the intervenor in a case won by the University of Sussex, finding that the FSU’s approach was at all stages “proportionate and focused”.’
Local Government Lawyer, 28th October 2026
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The Information Commission’s Office has issued advice for organisations handling sensitive personal information, after Staffordshire Police unlawfully disclosed a domestic abuse victim’s home address to their alleged abuser.’
Local Government Lawyer, 28th October 2026
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Domestic abuse survivors will receive stronger legal protections to remain in their social homes while perpetrators are removed, under proposed amendments to the Social Housing Bill.’
Family Law, 26th October 2026
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
‘At least one in five police-recorded crimes relates to public protection threats, including domestic abuse, sexual offending and child-on-child abuse, according to the first Strategic Threat and Risk Assessment published by the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP).’
Family Law, 26th October 2026
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
‘These days, if you throw a beer can into the recycling in the UK, you can be reasonably confident that, one way or another, the brand owner (brewer and/or brander) for the beer will be contributing to the costs of recycling the can. The system works like this. The brand owner files data as to the tonnages of packaging it placed on the market, and then pays its share of the waste disposal costs of that sector – levied by reference to the material involved and its recyclability.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 26th October 2026
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.substack.com
‘Paul Newman KC looks at the recent Deputy Pensions Ombudsman’s decision in Ms H, which raises questions about whether requiring full contributions after maximum pension accrual amounts to age discrimination, even where the benefit cap is lawful.’
Pensions Barrister, 29th October 2026
Source: www.pensionsbarrister.com
‘The Court of Appeal has flexed its muscle to curb lawyers’ costs twice in the space of a week. In Parsons v Convatec, the defendant had incurred £4.2m in costs and had initially sought approval for £10.2m in future costs.’
Law Society Gazette, 27th October 2026
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘A shipwreck almost a quarter century ago has led to a Supreme Court ruling on the consequences of breaking contractual obligations to arbitrate. In Kingdom of Spain v London Steam-Ship Owners, five justices allowed an appeal by insurers against a judgment by the master of the rolls over the basis on which an insurer can seek recompense from states that were not party to the insurance contract.’
Law Society Gazette, 29th October 2026
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
© Inner Temple Library 2026