‘Work–life balance rights are in the odd position of being regularly legislated on and amended but rarely significantly changed. Every so often a new right, usually building on an existing one, is introduced, eligibility to use a right is widened, or a right is slightly strengthened. Reform takes place in silos: there is rarely consideration of how the rights fit together to allow work–life reconciliation over a person’s (working) life course or of more radical reform such as making carer status a protected characteristic for the purpose of discrimination law. The Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA) continues this trend of incremental reform by making changes to several existing rights. Although the direction of travel is clearly in the direction of extending the scope and eligibility to rights, overall it is yet another lost opportunity.’

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King's Law Journal, 7th August 2026

Source: www.tandfonline.com

‘The Sentencing Act 2026 emerged from crisis. By early 2026, the prison population had exceeded 87,000, approximately 25 per cent above certified capacity. Every local prison was overcrowded and every probation course oversubscribed.’

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2 Hare Court, 10th August 2026

Source: www.2harecourt.com

‘The diverse litigation relating to the HS2 scheme from its inception persists. This appeal related to an alteration to the design of the HS2 plans, where a proposed 2.9 km extension to the Bromford Tunnel was found to not form part of the original planning permission granted, on the basis that the extension required an environmental impact assessment, and standalone planning permission. LJ Holgate gave the lead judgment in this appeal. LJ Holgate allowed the appeal on one of the grounds of appeal. The decision in this appeal was unanimous.’

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3PB, 10th August 2026

Source: www.3pb.co.uk

‘An asylum seeker who raped a 13-year-old girl after pretending to be a teenager on Snapchat has been jailed.’

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BBC News, 10th August 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Rosalind English talks to Amelia Walker of 1 Crown Office Row, frequently to be seen in the Court of Protection, about what the recent decision in response to the Northern Ireland’s reference really means in practice, in particular in relation to care home residents and capacity assessments.

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Law Pod UK, 10th August 2026

Source: audioboom.com

‘The government is facing legal action after the United Nations concluded prisoners trapped on indefinite jail terms are being unlawfully detained, The Independent can reveal.’

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The Independent, 11th August 2026

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘In Cherrington v University of Derby [2026] EAT 107, the Mr Justice Cavanagh in the Employment Appeal Tribunal (“EAT”) held that an Employment Tribunal (“ET”) was not obliged to consider the Appellant’s Article 10 ECHR right to freedom of expression of its own motion when deciding whether or not his dismissal was fair. His right to freedom of expression did not “shout out” from his case, and nor was the ET obliged to consider the ECHR “as a matter of course” in unfair dismissal complaints, or even particular species of unfair dismissal complaints.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 11th August 2026

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

‘Radio Caroline has been found in breach of broadcasting rules after it mistakenly announced the death of King Charles III.’

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BBC News, 10th August 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘In R (FZW) v Bristol City Council [2026] EWHC 1956 (Admin), Judge Barry Clarke, sitting as a High Court judge, concluded that the council should have found in law that the claimant appeared to them to require accommodation under section 20, reminding local authorities they cannot “side-step” obligations under section 20 by describing accommodation as having been provided under section 17.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 10th August 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘The Upper Tribunal has held that a child or young person’s ‘ordinary residence’ for the purposes of the Children and Families Act (CFA) 2014 may be different to their ‘ordinary residence’ for the purposes of the social care functions of the local authority.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 10th August 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘The Court of Appeal in Information Commissioner and another v O’Hanlon [2026] EWCA Civ 838 has found that the duty to disclose environmental information only applies to information held at the date of the request, and further that the exception to disclosure in reg 12(4)(a) of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (“EIR”) (where a public authority does not “hold” the environmental information requested) is to be applied as at the time of the initial request, not the time of the authority’s refusal or subsequent reg 11 review.’

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Panopticon, 7th August 2026

Source: panopticonblog.com

‘In Autumn 2026, elections are taking place to select General Synod members for the next quinquennium. The Church of England is “looking for candidates who represent the whole range of people and churches in the Church of England, particularly those whose background may currently be underrepresented”.’

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Law & Religion UK, 9th August 2026

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

‘Following a preliminary oral hearing on abuse on 28 April 2026 and a preliminary determination on the papers of an application to amend the charges, both of which matters were dealt with by the Chair alone, the final hearing of the case took place over two days on 27 and 28 July 2026.’

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Law & Religion UK, 6th August 2026

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

‘Work does not stop at national boundaries anymore. The possibilities for remote work, international postings, business travel, and the global movement of the workforce have enabled businesses to operate in multiple nations simultaneously. However, this flexibility can be costly. With every foreign assignment an employee undertakes, the company may unknowingly incur a complex set of obligations that employers often are unaware of.’

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EIN Blog, 4th August 2026

Source: www.ein.org.uk

‘A costs judge has ruled that a law firm handling a woman’s estate as joint executor has no right to be paid for its services.’

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Law Society Gazette, 10th August 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has cleared a conveyancer of taking instructions from a client’s son and of manifest incompetence in a property transaction during the pandemic.’

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Legal Futures, 10th August 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘The Legal Services Consumer Panel has renewed its call for a single regulator to replace the eight approved regulators currently governing legal services in England and Wales.’

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Legal Futures, 7th August 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘The second part of Jonathan Fisher KC’s independent review, on fraud in the digital age, argues that the UK’s response to fraud must move away from a largely reactive model towards one that is proactive, preventative and focused on disrupting criminal activity before harm occurs. Fraud now accounts for nearly half of all surveyed crime, with digital technologies enabling offenders to operate at scale, across borders and with a relatively low risk of detection, according to the review.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 7th August 2026

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

‘Sadiq Khan has ordered Westminster council to scrap a policy that would ban new pubs and bars from opening in Soho and the West End of London.’

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The Guardian, 9th August 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘As judges begin to overturn indefinite jail terms handed to children and young people – and hundreds more cases are being reviewed – Vera Baird, chair of the miscarriages of justice watchdog, demands that Andy Burnham take “wholesale” action to address the scandal.’

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The Independent, 10th August 2026

Source: www.independent.co.uk