BAILII: Recent Decisions

Posted January 20th, 2026 in law reports by michael

Supreme Court

Providence Building Services Ltd v Hexagon Housing Association Ltd [2026] UKSC 1 (15 January 2026)

Court of Appeal (Civil Division)

R (Children: Setting Aside Hague Return Order)(No. 2) [2026] EWCA Civ 18 (20 January 2026)

Revenue And Customs v Medpro Healthcare Ltd & Ors [2026] EWCA Civ 14 (19 January 2026)

Smithstone v Tranmoor Primary School [2026] EWCA Civ 13 (16 January 2026)

Oji, R (On the Application Of) v The Director of Legal Aid Casework [2026] EWCA Civ 11 (16 January 2026)

Rubery v Ministry of Defence [2026] EWCA Civ 8 (15 January 2026)

Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd v List (Valuation Officer) [2026] EWCA Civ 7 (15 January 2026)

Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)

TPD, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 16 (20 January 2026)

Sands, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 15 (20 January 2026)

Webster & Ors v The King [2026] EWCA Crim 9 (20 January 2026)

Lakeman, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 4 (14 January 2026)

Gifford & Anor, R. v [2025] EWCA Crim 1748 (19 December 2025)

High Court (Administrative Court)

Hurst v Solicitors Regulation Authority [2026] EWHC 85 (Admin) (20 January 2026)

The Howard League for Penal Reform, R (on the application of) v The Secretary of State for Justice [2026] EWHC 74 (Admin) (19 January 2026)

Jsc (A Child, By Her Litigation Friend, Jkc), R (On the Application Of) v Cambridgeshire County Council [2026] EWHC 68 (Admin) (19 January 2026)

Lasek v Circuit Court of Tarnobrzeg (Poland) [2026] EWHC 54 (Admin) (15 January 2026)

Mastercard Europe SA, R (On the Application Of) v Payment Systems Regulator [2026] EWHC 64 (Admin) (15 January 2026)

Mailat v Hunedeora City Court (Romania) [2026] EWHC 63 (Admin) (15 January 2026)

Sufian, R (On the Application Of) v Legal Ombudsman [2026] EWHC 28 (Admin) (14 January 2026)

Save the Fox and Hounds Campaign Ltd v Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government & Ors [2026] EWHC 4 (Admin) (13 January 2026)

High Court (Chancery Division)

Hipgnosis Music Ltd v Mercuriadis & Ors [2026] EWHC 82 (Ch) (20 January 2026)

FP Redhill Ltd & Ors v Patel & Ors [2026] EWHC 77 (Ch) (19 January 2026)

Dorothy House & Anor v Anne Elizabeth Helme & Anor [2026] EWHC 75 (Ch) (19 January 2026)

Stephenson & Anor v Daley & Anor [2026] EWHC 53 (Ch) (19 January 2026)

Langmead v Andrew & Anor [2026] EWHC 72 (Ch) (16 January 2026)

Reid-Roberts & Anor v Mei-Lin & Anor [2026] EWHC 49 (Ch) (15 January 2026)

Lawless v Secretary of State for Business and Trade & Ors [2026] EWHC 48 (Ch) (14 January 2026)

Stephens & Anor v Firestone Financial Assets Ltd & Anor (Re Dolfin Financial (UK) Ltd) [2026] EWHC 41 (Ch) (12 January 2026)

High Court (Commercial Court)

My Protection Guru Ltd v LifeSearch Partners Ltd [2026] EWHC 60 (Comm) (16 January 2026)

Acasta European Insurance Company Ltd v Eshiett & Ors [2026] EWHC 71 (Comm) (16 January 2026)

Abraaj Investment Management Ltd & Ors v KES Power Ltd & Ors [2026] EWHC 65 (Comm) (16 January 2026)

Rostrum Leasing 1 DAC v MAE Aircraft Management WLL [2026] EWHC 57 (Comm) (15 January 2026)

Nexedge Markets Ltd v Trex Global Ltd [2025] EWHC 3425 (Comm) (19 December 2025)

High Court (Family Division)

EN v RN & Anor [2026] EWHC 21 (Fam) (15 January 2026)

High Court (King’s Bench Division)

RAJ v MSH [2026] EWHC 80 (KB) (19 January 2026)

Frenkel v Lyampert [2026] EWHC 46 (KB) (16 January 2026)

Limbu & Ors v Dyson Technology Ltd & Ors [2026] EWHC 38 (KB) (14 January 2026)

High Court (Technology and Construction Court)

Paragon Group Limited v FK Facades Limited [2026] EWHC 78 (TCC) (20 January 2026)

Munic�pio De Mariana v BHP Group (UK) Ltd & Anor [2026] EWHC 73 (TCC) (19 January 2026)

Cubic Transportation Systems Ltd v Transport for London & Anor [2026] EWHC 61 (TCC) (15 January 2026)

Source: www.bailii.org

Restoring control over the immigration system: white paper – Home Office

Posted January 20th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘The white paper sets out the government’s plans to create an immigration system which promotes growth but is controlled and managed.’

Full Story

Home Office, 20th January 2026

Source: www.gov.uk

Northampton imam sentenced for underage marriage ceremony in legal first – Crown Prosecution Service

Posted January 20th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘A faith leader who officiated a wedding ceremony for an underage couple has been sentenced in the first case of its kind under new legislation banning child marriage in England and Wales.’

Full Story

Crown Prosecution Service, 19th January 2026

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

‘Workable’ AI copyright solutions lacking amidst UK policy ‘reset’ – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 20th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘”Workable” solutions that enable transparency over the content and data used to train AI models and allow rightsholders to opt their works out from being used for that purpose, have yet to be found, UK ministers have admitted, despite the government previously indicating a preference for those measures to be built into a package of AI-related reforms to UK copyright law.’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 19th January 2026

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

PSS is a ‘gateway’ to other rights, does not confer housing rights – Nearly Legal

Posted January 20th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘The Court of Appeal held that Pre-Settled Status (PSS) under Article 18 of the Agreement on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community (the “Withdrawal Agreement”), did not in itself confer access to housing services, including Part VII homelesness support under Housing Act 1996.’

Full Story

Nearly Legal, 19th January 2026

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

AI issues in the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) and Upper Tribunal (LC) – Nearly Legal

Posted January 20th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘As issues with the use of LLM generative AI in submissions in cases continue to arise, it is perhaps not surprising that the FTT(PC) appears to have had its share of such problems. What is perhaps more surprising is that it seems to have been largely on the part of landlord respondents, rather than leaseholder applicants.’

Full Story

Nearly Legal, 18th January 2026

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Guardianship Without Erasure: Understanding Kafala in Islamic Law – EIN Blog

Posted January 20th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘In both legal and popular discourse, it is often claimed that Islamic law does not permit adoption. While this statement holds some truth when adoption is defined in Western legal systems, where a child’s identity and lineage are legally transferred to the adoptive family, it overlooks the existence of deeply rooted Islamic mechanisms for childcare and guardianship. Chief among these is kafala (in Arabic literally means guarantee, surety, or taking responsibility for someone or something), a concept that provides for the ethical and material care of children without violating key principles of Islamic law, particularly the preservation of lineage (nasab).’

Full Story

EIN Blog, 19th January 2026

Source: www.ein.org.uk

The long arm of SC: legislative deference in the employment law context – Administrative Court Blog

Posted January 20th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘The Court of Appeal recently (15 January 2026) handed down its judgment in the case of Rubery v Ministry of Defence [2026] EWCA Civ 8. Elisabeth Laing LJ gave the lead judgment; Peter Jackson and Bean LJJ concurred. The Court, agreeing with the decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal, found that the Employment Tribunal had been wrong at first instance to find that provisions of the Equality Act 2010 which limited the ability of members of the armed forces to bring discrimination complaints breached Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The Employment Tribunal had also been wrong to employ section 3 of the Human Rights Act (HRA) to “read in” a provision to cure the problem.’

Full Story

Administrative Court Blog, 19th January 2026

Source: administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com

Expanding the scope of Article 6 ECHR for compensation scheme eligibility disputes – Administrative Court Blog

Posted January 20th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘The Court of Appeal (Lewis, Peter Jackson, and Stuart-Smith LJJ) has affirmed the High Court’s conclusion that an application to the Windrush Compensation Scheme (“the WCS”) does not involve the determination of any civil dispute in the Article 6 ECHR sense. However, in a lengthy obiter judgment involving an impressive review of the Strasbourg case law, and disagreeing with the High Court, Lewis LJ concludes in his lead judgment that a genuine dispute over WCS eligibility can involve the determination of an Article 6 civil right. The case is R (Oji) v The Director of Legal Aid Casework [2026] EWCA Civ 11.’

Full Story

Administrative Court Blog, 19th January 2026

Source: administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com

Senior president of tribunals warns of increased abuse towards tribunal judges in annual report – Law Society Gazette

Posted January 20th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘The senior president of tribunals, Lord Justice Dingemans, has spoken of “unwarranted” media commentary, judges’ safety and a 2027 date for the Home Office’s plans for a body of assessors to take decisions on asylum appeals in his first annual report.’

Full Story

Law Society Gazette, 17th January 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Judicial use of AI and risk of gender bias – Counsel

Posted January 20th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘The judiciary is familiar with addressing bias but GenAI presents new challenges. Sophie Mitchell examines how, why and when gender bias might present itself in judicial use of AI tools and calls for urgent debate’

Full Story

Counsel, 16th January 2026

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

Pepper spray use at young offender institutions in England ruled legal – The Guardian

Posted January 20th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘An attempt to halt the use of pepper spray on children held in young offender institutions (YOIs) has failed after the high court ruled on Monday that the weapon’s rollout was lawful.’

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The Guardian, 19th January 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com

High Court extends illegal car meet-ups injunction – BBC News

Posted January 20th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘Unauthorised car meet-ups will be banned in a north London borough for another year after the High Court extended an injunction.’

Full Story

BBC News, 20th January 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

£16,000 private jet to extradite HSTikkyTokky ‘not necessary’, judge tells Surrey police – The Guardian

Posted January 20th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘Using a £16,000 private flight to extradite a TikTok influencer wanted on dangerous driving charges back to the UK was “not necessary or proportionate”, a judge has told Surrey police.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 16th January 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com

Female nurses win employment case over NHS changing-room use by trans colleague – The Guardian

Posted January 20th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘A group of nurses who complained about a trans colleague using single-sex changing rooms at work suffered harassment, an employment tribunal judge has ruled.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 16th January 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com