Background The Court of Appeal has today handed down two related judgments both concerned with the Government’s policy in relation to the proposed expansion of Heathrow by way of a third runway, one dealing with the detail of how expansion should take place and the other considering the planning aspects and process of the policy. … Read more
In the latest episode of our Public Law Podcast, Andrew Lidbetter and Jasveer Randhawa discuss the key themes and practical takeaways from the case law on consultations in 2019. Listen to the latest episode on SoundCloud, Apple and Spotify and don’t forget to subscribe to the channel to receive updates on future episodes. You can read more about the some … Read more
In R (on the application of British Medical Association) v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care [2020] EWHC 64 (Admin) the British Medical Association (the “Claimant”), a trade union and professional body for doctors, successfully challenged the National Health Service Pension Schemes, Additional Voluntary Contributions and Injury Benefits (Amendment) Regulations 2019 (the “Regulations”). … Read more
In a judgment handed down yesterday, the Court of Appeal found that an audit client could not be compelled to produce its privileged documents to its auditor’s regulator: Sports Direct International plc v The Financial Reporting Council [2020] EWCA Civ 177. The case concerned the construction of the Financial Reporting Council’s (“FRC“) information-gathering powers (specifically … Read more
The Committee on Standards in Public Life (the “Committee”) has published a report on artificial intelligence (“AI”) and its impact on public standards following the Committee’s review into this fast-developing field (the “Report”). The Report sets out the Committee’s recommendations for the governance and regulation of AI in the public sector, aimed at ensuring high … Read more
Over the last year, three key reports have been published on the future of the audit and accountancy professions. These reports together propose significant reforms to audit and the manner in which it is regulated, including the replacement of the Financial Reporting Council (the “FRC”) with a new regulator with enhanced powers. While the reviews … Read more
In R (on the application of Clarke and Others) v Holliday [2019] EWHC 3596 (Admin), the High Court dismissed an application for permission to apply for judicial review of decisions taken by the Chairman of an independent, non-statutory inquiry (the “Inquiry”). In doing so the court proceeded on the basis that the Inquiry was amenable … Read more
With the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 (the Withdrawal Agreement Act) now formally on the statute books, Britain is set to exit the EU at the end of January. Exit day, however, only marks the next step in the Brexit process. The UK will enter into a transition period until 31 December 2020, during … Read more
In a judgment handed down on 20 December 2019, the High Court in Alstom Transport UK Ltd v Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd [2019] EWHC 3585 (TCC) allowed Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd (“Network Rail”) to enter into a major signalling contract with Siemens. The court lifted the automatic suspension which had been in place after an … Read more
