The employment tribunal backlog of single claims hit a record 70,000 at the end of June, as a lawyer warns tribunals face even greater demand ahead.
Category: Legal
Contracts, Human Resources HR, Employment and legal advice for owners and managers of SME small and medium sized business owners.
Appeal tribunal overturns Next equal pay ruling on warehouse wages
The Employment Appeal Tribunal has overturned the 2024 Next equal pay ruling, finding recruitment and retention justified higher warehouse pay rates.
Hinton calls for UK ban on superintelligent AI as MPs table bill
The Artificial Superintelligence Security Bill goes before parliament on 8 September as Geoffrey Hinton warns superintelligent AI could be catastrophic.
B&Q and Five Guys among 658 employers named for minimum wage breaches
B&Q, Five Guys, Serco and Whitbread are among 658 employers named by the government for minimum wage underpayments, repaying £4m to 27,000 workers.
Harvey Nichols suppliers set to recover less than 15p in the pound after Frasers pre-pack
New Companies House filings show Harvey Nichols and Company went into administration owing £270.5 million to unsecured creditors, and administrators FTI Consulting expect no more than 15 per cent of that to come back. Harvey Nichols suppliers from Victoria Beckham to Canada Goose are among those left out of pocket after the luxury retailer was sold to Frasers Group.
Lineker asks how much the super wealthy “actually need” as wealth tax campaign draws hypocrisy charge
The former Match of the Day presenter, one of more than 120 signatories to an open letter asking Andy Burnham for a 2 per cent wealth tax on assets above £10 million, says the billionaires resisting it should ask themselves how much they actually need. Opponents say the call sits awkwardly with his own £4.9 million battle with HMRC.
Firms told to audit labour supply chains as Right to Work checks extend to subcontractors from 1 October
Businesses that rely on subcontractors, agency staff and layered labour supply chains are being urged to review their compliance procedures now, with sweeping changes to Right to Work checks due to take effect on 1 October 2026 and civil penalties of up to £60,000 per illegal worker for firms that get it wrong.
Recruitment tycoon who sold his classic cars to build an empire faces High Court bankruptcy fight
David Spencer-Percival, the recruitment entrepreneur who sold his home and classic car collection to launch Spencer Ogden, is fighting a bankruptcy petition in the High Court after his latest firm, Life Science People, was compulsorily wound up over money owed to HMRC.
Mike Lynch’s estate wins right to challenge £920m HP fraud ruling
The Mike Lynch appeal will go ahead after the Court of Appeal gave the late tech entrepreneur’s estate permission to challenge the £920m fraud award to Hewlett Packard on four grounds, in a decision that could reduce a payment currently set to wipe out his estate.
Amazon accused of rigging ad auctions as FTC and 22 states allege $20bn overcharge
An Amazon advertising lawsuit filed by the FTC and 22 US states alleges the company manipulated its ad auctions to overcharge more than a million advertising customers by an estimated $20bn since 2019, claims Amazon dismisses as misguided.
HMRC checks 45 million PAYE accounts as P800 letters go out
The HMRC PAYE review covers around 45 million accounts, with P800 tax calculation letters already being issued and checks running until November 2026. Overpayments are being dealt with first, but workers claiming refunds across more than one year will now have to request the money themselves.
Uber faces €825m GDPR fine over automated driver deactivations
Uber GDPR fine: the Dutch Data Protection Authority says the ride hailing company breached European data rules by using automated systems to deactivate driver accounts without adequately informing them. Uber calls the penalty disproportionate and plans to appeal.
Meta glasses banned from courts across England and Wales
Meta glasses are now prohibited in courts and tribunals across England and Wales, with security staff instructed to hold the devices at the entrance.
Shein loses High Court copyright case against Temu
Shein has lost its High Court copyright case against Temu after Judge Kelyn Bacon dismissed the fast-fashion group’s claims over photographs of clothing.
Zero hours reforms could cost business up to £2.9bn a year
Zero hours contracts reforms could cost UK businesses up to £2.9bn a year, according to government impact assessments published alongside a consultation.
