‘Summaries to the 9 consistory court judgments reviewed during October are listed below, with links to the L&RUK review.’
Law & Religion UK, 31st October 2026
Source: lawandreligionuk.com
‘The High Court has rejected a challenge by three internet service providers to OFCOM’s decision to issue them with information notices under the Online Safety Act 2023. The challenge was wide-ranging and featured five distinct grounds (raising nine discrete legal issues). But this post focuses on two grounds: that the decision to issue the notices was ultra vires the 2023 Act; and that the decision to issue the notices was invalid due to predetermination.’
Administrative Court Blog, 30th October 2026
‘Complaints to the bar watchdog about conduct have soared, the Bar Standards Board has revealed – with complaints about social media conduct more than doubling.;
Law Society Gazette, 2nd November 2026
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Delays in handing down court judgments have led to two judges being sanctioned for misconduct, two disciplinary statements published by the Judicial Investigations Conduct Office have revealed.’
Law Society Gazette, 30th October 2026
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘These are the key points from the 2026 Budget to consider in respect of existing expert reports where the tax calculations may need to be revisited or when drafting new instructions. The good news is that there are not too many significant changes.’
Financial Remedies Journal, 2nd November 2026
Source: financialremediesjournal.com
‘A maximum Child Maintenance Service (CMS) maintenance calculation is a condition precedent of a top-up order. But could a subsequent decision by the CMS bring the court’s order to an end? The question has exposed a tension between the court’s limited jurisdiction to make top-up orders and the continuing operation of the statutory child support scheme.’
Financial Remedies Journal, 30th October 2026
Source: financialremediesjournal.com
‘A bid to bring wild lynx back to a Northumberland forest has failed at the High Court, after a judge ruled that the species remains covered by dangerous animal legislation.’
The Independent, 30th October 2026
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Fifteen men who were part of a gang which distributed up to £1.4bn of cocaine smuggled into the UK hidden in cheese, chocolate spread and cod mince have been jailed.’
BBC News, 30th October 2026
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A motorist who drove through give-way markings, collided with a cyclist and then dragged him, trapped under his car, for more than a mile has been found guilty of murder.’
The Guardian, 30th October 2026
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘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
© Inner Temple Library 2026