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Carer’s Leave – the new law explained
14 December 2023From 6 April 2024, employees will have a statutory right to a week’s unpaid leave to care for a dependant. The Carer’s Leave Regulations 2024 have now been published in draft form and provide the details on how this new right will work in practice.
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Financial promotions regulatory horizon scanner
12 December 2023Our financial promotions horizon scanner (below) identifies regulatory changes and updates that are likely to impact firms who offer financial services and products in the UK. The tracker identifies key current and future developments across numerous areas including, anti-greenwashing, social media, high risk investments and cryptoassets.
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New Immigration Rules expand activities allowed for visitors
12 December 2023On 7 December 2023 the Home Office published new Immigration Rules. These expand the range of activities visitors are allowed to do in the UK from 31 January 2024, including remote work, research, provision of legal services and paid engagements. The Youth Mobility Scheme is also amended to include citizens of Uruguay and to restructure the arrangements for Japanese and South Korean citizens.
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Is early workforce consultation required for small scale redundancies?
12 December 2023In a decision with potentially significant implications for employers, the EAT has indicated that the lack of ‘general workforce consultation’ at a formative stage in a small-scale redundancy exercise could taint the fairness of the process.
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Ads & Brands Law Digest: November 2023
07 December 2023Welcome to the November 2023 edition of our Digest, covering legal and regulatory developments from the last few weeks relevant to advertising, marketing, and brand-owning businesses. As usual, for each item we provide a succinct summary accompanied by a link to the full text of the relevant official source or our own report.
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The National Security and Investment Act 2021: will it lead to greater certainty and lower burdens for businesses?
07 December 2023Since the National Security and Investment Act (the NSI Act) came into force on 4 January 2022, one of the criticisms levelled at the legislation has been its broad scope and ambiguity over whether a transaction might be captured by the mandatory notification regime or voluntary notification regime.
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How can employers support older employees in reskilling and returning to the workplace?
07 December 2023With an ageing population and a resurgence of over-50s returning to the office, employers are increasingly needing to rethink recruitment and retention strategies in response. This article explores ways employers can support older workers in the workplace, without falling foul of age discrimination legislation.
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Virtual Christmas card tree planting initiative
06 December 2023Instead of printing and posting Christmas cards every year, we have chosen to email virtual cards and plant trees.
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UK immigration policies announced to lower net migration
05 December 2023On 4 December 2023 the UK Government announced a ‘five point plan’ to lower net migration, following on from recent high net migration figures. These include raising the general threshold for Skilled Worker visas, abolishing the salary discount for shortage occupation roles and prohibiting care workers from bringing dependants.
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FCA publishes long-awaited rules and guidance on anti-greenwashing and sustainability
01 December 2023The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published long-awaited guidance on anti-greenwashing and sustainability due to come into effect in 2024.
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The employee voice, social media and the culture wars - where to draw the line?
30 November 2023Employers are walking the tightrope between ensuring an open and inclusive workplace, inviting employees to bring their “whole selves” to work, yet protecting against discrimination, harassment and an outbreak of culture wars. Knowing whether and when to step in can be a challenge, particularly in the age of social media and instant communications.
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Limited partnerships: litigation following dissolution and winding up
30 November 2023A decision has been taken to wind up a limited partnership - that heralds the end for all concerned… or does it? Can a cause of action which accrued pre-dissolution be litigated by the general partner post-dissolution following the apparent winding up of the limited partnership? The High Court (at least on an interim basis) has said, yes.
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How to avoid a right to work check headache when BRPs are phased out
27 November 2023The Home Office intends to phase out biometric residence permits and other physical immigration documents from 1 January 2025. Although details of the process are still awaited, employers should take the opportunity now to review the volume of repeat right to work checks are due on 31 December 2024 and aim to minimise bottlenecks with processing these.
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VSP update – A trio of recent developments for Video Sharing Platforms (and a glimpse ahead to what enforcement under the Online Safety regime might look like)
27 November 2023The Online Safety Act 2023 recently received Royal Assent and Ofcom has begun the process of consulting on various codes of practice. Most, if not all, Video Sharing Platforms (VSPs) will be caught by the Act, However, in the meantime, VSPs still need to comply with the existing Video Sharing Platform rules, and recent activity from the regulators indicates that they are keen to remind VSPs that they can’t sit on their laurels until the Online Safety regime kicks in. Regulatory activity can also be taken as an indication of how enforcement action may be approached under the Online Safety regime, as there are many parallels in the regulations.
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Who’s Who? - ‘Principal Accountable Person’ under Section 73 of the Building Safety Act 2022
24 November 2023Lewis Silkin recently advised on a dispute between an intermediate landlord (IL) and their management company (MC) over who the Principal Accountable Person (PAP) was under Section 73 of the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA). By no means an easy task…
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IR35: offset mechanism to be introduced for the off-payroll working rules
23 November 2023The Autumn Statement 2023 contained an announcement that a new offset mechanism will be introduced for the off-payroll working rules, which will help end users and fee payers where HMRC has disagreed with a status determination.
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No mention in the King’s speech: a non-starter for non-compete limits?
22 November 2023The government’s planned reform to non-competes was conspicuous by its absence in the King’s Speech on 7 November 2023. There is now much greater uncertainty as to whether any legislation limiting non-compete restrictions to a period of three months will make it to the statute books.
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Supreme Court throws out Deliveroo rider status challenge
21 November 2023The Supreme Court, upholding earlier decisions by the Central Arbitration Committee, High Court and Court of Appeal, finds that Deliveroo riders are not in an “employment relationship” for the purposes of European human rights law.
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AI Implementation Pathway
19 November 2023With the rapid development of AI tools, as well as the ever-evolving regulatory landscape it is important that businesses do their homework when it comes to AI.
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The role of immigration law in advancing DE&I initiatives in global mobility
17 November 2023Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives are no longer just buzzwords but are becoming essential elements of success for companies in all industries. Companies are recognising the value of diverse talent and the need to promote equitable opportunities in their global operations. Immigration law is a cornerstone of the legal framework and can play a pivotal role in shaping the demographic composition of a company.