The Mental Capacity (Duty to Assess) Bill imposes a statutory duty on professionals to assess mental capacity in specified circumstances, amending the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Healthcare, social care, and legal organizations must update policies and training to ensure compliance.
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The Public Procurement (British Goods and Services) Bill proposes to modify UK public procurement rules to prioritize British goods and services, requiring contractors to demonstrate British content and social value in bids. This will impose new compliance obligations on companies bidding for UK public sector contracts across multiple sectors.
Petrofac Facilities Management Limited (PFML) paid a £569,157 compound settlement for breaching UK Russian sanctions rules in 2022-2023, marking the first such naming by HMRC. This signals a 'new era' of heightened sanctions enforcement, requiring companies to strengthen compliance programs.
The UK FCA has issued new rules and guidance on non-financial misconduct, effective September 1, 2026. Firms must update policies, train staff, and align HR and compliance processes to meet the new anti-harassment rule and fit and proper test clarifications.
The UK government has announced that Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and Oracle Cloud will be directly overseen by the FCA and PRA to ensure operational resilience, data security, and risk management in the financial sector. This new regime requires cloud giants to comply with stricter incident reporting, service reliability, and business continuity rules, affecting financial institutions' contracts and compliance obligations.
The UK's Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 amends Basic Loss Payments (BLP) and Occupiers Loss Payments (OLP) for compulsory purchase. From 18 February 2026, BLP rates drop from 7.5% (max £75,000) to 2.5% (max £25,000), while agricultural OLP rates triple. Companies involved in land compensation must adjust calculations for CPO/DCO notices on or after that date.
The UK government launched the Cyber Resilience Pledge, a voluntary initiative requiring board-level cybersecurity responsibility and Cyber Essentials across supply chains, alongside Cyber Shield, a national AI defense project. These are precursors to mandatory regulations under the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill.
HM Revenue & Customs has introduced a new duty on vaping products and a mandatory stamp scheme. From 1 October 2026, new vaping products must bear duty stamps, with a grace period for unstamped stock until 31 March 2027. Businesses must verify stamps, keep records, and ensure compliance to avoid penalties.
The UK FCA has charged Richard Bloomfield with five counts of insider dealing, signaling continued enforcement against market abuse. Companies should review insider trading policies and ensure compliance with Section 52 of the Criminal Justice Act 1993.
The FCA's annual report details enforcement actions including arrests of finfluencers, £42m fine on Barclays for AML failures, and 11-year prison sentences for insider dealing. Companies must review compliance with financial promotion rules and AML obligations.
The UK is enacting new deforestation legislation similar to the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), requiring companies trading in commodities like wood, cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, and soy to conduct due diligence to ensure deforestation-free supply chains. This impacts businesses in these sectors, including derived products such as chocolate and furniture, and mandates enhanced supply chain traceability and reporting.
The UK has imposed sanctions on cryptocurrency exchanges linked to financing Russia's war in Ukraine, marking the first action targeting digital sanctions evasion. This signals increased regulatory scrutiny on crypto assets and compliance teams should prepare for further developments in the UK, EU, and other jurisdictions.
The UK Government launched a consultation on June 9, 2026, proposing reforms to employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children, including extending Carer's Leave, introducing paid leave, and a new statutory leave for parents of seriously ill children (Hugh's Law). The consultation closes September 1, 2026, and may lead to significant changes in HR policies and absence management.
The UK Government introduced the Commercial Payments Bill on May 19, 2026, to combat late payments. It imposes a 60-day payment term cap, mandatory statutory interest at 8% above base rate, and gives the Small Business Commissioner power to levy fines up to 1% of annual turnover. Businesses must review payment terms and processes ahead of expected 2027 enforcement.
EU-established businesses moving goods in/out of Northern Ireland must use an EU EORI number and register with HMRC's Customs Declaration Service. Exceptions apply for certain schemes, but most businesses need to update their customs procedures.
HMRC has updated form IHT100d and guidance for reporting Inheritance Tax on the 10-year anniversary of relevant property trusts, including changes to reliefs from 6 April 2026 and a Welsh translation added on 7 July 2026. Trust administrators must use the latest version of the form.
The FCA found poor practices among nine major UK banks in offering basic accounts to vulnerable customers. Banks have committed to improvement plans, and the FCA will monitor compliance, signaling increased enforcement in financial inclusion.
HMRC has issued notices under The Customs (Export) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, which have force of law. These updates cover changes to export declarations, roll-on/roll-off locations, CDS requirements, and migration from CHIEF to CDS, affecting all UK exporters.
HMRC published a special edition of Agent Update on 7 July 2026 providing guidance for tax agents on sending first quarterly updates under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. This supports the UK's mandate for digital record-keeping and quarterly reporting for income tax.
The UK Payment Systems Regulator reports that its mandate requiring payment service providers to reimburse APP fraud victims has reduced victim numbers and increased returned funds. Firms are enhancing fraud prevention measures in response.