Last week, Shoosmiths hosted an event with leading industry body, techUK, labelled ‘Redefining web 3.0: Emerging economies, metaverse technologies and the new age of the internet’. During this event we heard directly from representatives from the sector, who delve into the business potential created by the merging of web 3.0 and Metaverse technologies ...
A report published on 25 January 2024 by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) reaches the conclusion that contrary to the situation in the USA, aggregate employer market power has not increased in the UK in recent decades. Economic theory identifies that where employer market power is high (typically because in an area there are only a few major employers and limited other choices for workers), the workers are paid less, employers employ fewer workers and production output is lower ...
A podcast series that explores privacy themes within some of the most well-known movies. Whether you are a film buff, a privacy advocate, or simply curious about the intersection of storytelling and privacy, take a journey with us as we explore how the big screen tackles privacy. In this episode, William Moore and Mike Vallance discuss the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” ...
In the latest contribution to the debate on the UK's approach to AI regulation, the Lords Communications and Digital Committee has published a report urging the government to adopt a 'more positive' vision for AI, rather than concentrating on its "far-off and improbable" risks ...
In December, the Government published MSL Regulations, together with guidance, specifying the minimum number of workers needed to operate public services in times of strike action; for more detail, please see our recent article. With the dispute between the ASLEF train drivers’ union and UK train operators still ongoing, industrial action has now been announced to take place between 30 January and 5 February, with significant disruption expected ...
In the third instalment of our series, we consider the practical elements of the ‘workcation’ concept. As we have seen, working elsewhere may seem like an attractive proposition to employees. They will undoubtedly be keen to take advantage of the opportunity to save precious annual leave entitlement, but it is important an employer sets some ground rules ...
The launch of our annual conference, Data Insights x Shoosmiths, took place on Wednesday, 24 January 2024 at our offices in London and virtually via live-stream. We were delighted to see a conversation between the titans of data transfer: Privacy Lawyer and Activist at NOYB Max Schrems and French MP Philippe Latombe, followed by a keynote from Barrister, Author and AI visionary Jamie Susskind ...
Shoosmiths’ legal experts outline the key legal changes set to impact the UK’s real estate industry in 2024 and beyond. Introduction of biodiversity net gain in England New biodiversity net gain requirements will be introduced for large development sites from 12 February 2024 and are set to also apply to smaller sites from 2 April 2024. Biodiversity net gain aims to create and improve natural habitats by measuring the impact of a development on biodiversity ...
The Home Office has published a timeline for the implementation of measures to reduce net migration over the next 2 months. 6 February 2024 Immigration Health Surcharge will increase by 66% to £1,035 per year: Update: Confirmed date for increase to Immigration Health Surcharge (shoosmiths.com). 11 March 2024 Care workers and senior care workers will no longer be able to bring dependants ...
Employees have a statutory right not to suffer discrimination in the workplace; religion and belief is one of nine characteristics that are protected by discrimination legislation. We focus on this characteristic and the key issues employers face. What the law says Direct and indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation are collectively referred to as prohibited conduct under the Equality Act 2010 (the Act) ...
As we enter each new year, we see more and more Awareness/National Days populating our calendars. Though some may seem rather obscure, the majority can be inspiring and put much needed emphasis on a lot of health, social and cultural topics ...
On 31 January 2024, the UK government will bring into force HM Treasury’s proposed reforms to the financial promotion rules. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (FPO) contains restrictions on the issue of communications which amount to “promotions” of investments in securities ...
In August 2023, we reported on the government’s announcement of an increase to civil penalty fines for employers and landlords who employ or let properties to foreign nationals who do not have the right to work or reside in the UK. The Home Office has now communicated that the increase to civil penalty fines for employers and landlords will come into force on 13 February 2024 ...
If you have checked your licences overnight you may have seen the unexpected news from UK Visas and Immigration. They have published a notification on the landing page of the Sponsor Management System (on 24 January 2024) informing sponsors that they are removing the requirement to renew a sponsor licence. This impacts sponsors whose licence was due to expire on or after 6 April 2024. Those whose licence expires before this date will need to renew as usual ...
As employees start to push the boundaries and consider travelling abroad to profit from a ‘working vacation’, it is essential that UK employers are aware of their obligations and the checks that must be carried out. Visa requirements should not prove an issue if the employee is remaining within the UK, but there are numerous visa considerations and contractual terms that should be reviewed before approval is given to work overseas ...
This article looks at current trends in UK mid-market debt finance and what we anticipate for 2024. Businesses have faced a perfect storm of challenges in the last twelve months: slow economic growth, rising interest rates, geopolitical unrest and struggles to curb inflation. Despite all that, Q4 of 2023 was a busy one, with a definite uptick in new deals off the back of more positive economic news towards the end of the year ...
On 10 January 2024, the Pensions Regulator’s General Code of Practice was laid in Parliament, 2 years and 9 months after it was first published for consultation ...
Last week, Shoosmiths hosted an event with leading industry body, Regen on REMA, The UK’s Review of Electricity Market Arrangements. During this event we heard directly from representatives from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, debating the most important issues for the clean energy sector to consider and discuss the key options for reform with leading developers and investors ...
The government first announced an increase to the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) in July 2023, stating that they expected this to come into force in Autumn 2023. As a result of the required parliamentary process, that increase has been delayed for some months, but the process is now close to completion and the final date for the increase is confirmed. Earlier this week, The Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment) Order 2023 was approved by both houses of parliament and made into law ...
We are now several years post-pandemic, and it seems remote working, at least in part, is here to stay. Employees, however, are taking things one step further and last summer, we saw a growing trend of workers interested in working remotely from a holiday property, either in the UK or abroad. We started to see the increasing popularity of the ‘workcation’ where employees work remotely in their location of choice, combining work and leisure ...
In this two-part series, we look back at the various changes to immigration routes which took place in 2023 and what to expect in 2024. In May 2023, we saw the Office for National Statistics release net migration statistics which showed that net migration to the UK was increasing, followed in December 2023 by a revision of such figures to show an even greater increase than what was initially expected ...
On 11 January 2024 the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) published policy statement PS24/1 (without consultation). The policy statement sets out temporary changes to the complaints handling rules for motor finance complaints, amid a rise in complaints against motor finance firms relating to commission ...
In this two-part series, we look back at the various changes to immigration routes which took place in 2023 and what to expect in 2024. As we move into 2024, immigration continues to be a hot topic. As detailed in our immigration changes 2023 roundup, the government have already implemented numerous changes aiming to reduce net migration in the UK ...
A consultation published by the EU Commission on which over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives identifier would best facilitate price transparency closed at the end of last week. While we will need to wait until mid-2024 to hear the Commission’s findings, there are a couple of points of much broader impact and interest to all those interested in operating a multinational business, market structure, technology, digital assets, regulation, cross-border rule harmonisation and data privacy ...
To help the industry prepare, Shoosmiths’ construction specialists have outlined what legal developments may be in store for 2024. After a testing few years for the construction industry, 2024 is likely to be no breeze, with continued economic uncertainty and major regulatory reform on the way. To help the industry prepare, Shoosmiths’ construction specialists have outlined what legal developments may be in store for 2024 ...
