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Protecting members from pension scheme scams

New regulations have come into force which give transferring pension trustees more power to intervene where the requested transfer gives cause for concern, by allowing a transferring scheme to prevent a transfer where there are doubts regarding the legitimacy of the receiving scheme.

Government consults on new competition regime for digital markets

On 20 July 2021, the UK Government published proposals for a new competition regime for digital markets “to make it fairer for smaller businesses, entrepreneurs, and the British public”. These proposals include significant new powers for the Digital Markets Unit which was recently established within the CMA and an enforceable code of conduct for firms with so-called Strategic Market Status (SMS). The Government is also considering new merger control rules for firms with SMS. The proposals are now open for public consultation until 1 October 2021.

Capital Markets Update – July 2021

In June, a consultation was launched into new powers to prevent listings, Primary Market Bulletin 34 and a new edition of the Takeover Code were published, and we look ahead at July’s developments.

The UK subsidy control regime – familiar but different

Although hyped as “the most important bit of post-Brexit legislation yet”, the Subsidy Control Bill published by the UK Government on 30 June 2021 largely builds on commitments made by the UK under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which have had effect since the end of the Brexit transition period. The draft legislation nevertheless provides some useful clarity on key aspects of the proposed regime that is expected to come into force in 2022.

Podcast: Transitioning back to the office

Afshan Iqbal, Doctoral Researcher at Leeds University Business School, and Lucy Gordon, Director in the Employment Team at Walker Morris, discuss working from home during the pandemic, and what employers need to think about when transitioning back to the office.

International data transfers: UK adequacy, SCCs and the future for UK business

On 4 June 2021, the European Commission adopted a set of new and improved standard contractual clauses (SCCs) for personal data transfers from controllers or processors in the EEA to controllers or processors established outside the EEA. The EEA comprises the EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Then just a couple of weeks later on 28 June 2021, the European Commission approved two final adequacy decisions in favour of the UK, one under the EU General Data Protection Regulation and another under the Law Enforcement Directive, securing the UK’s status as an adequate destination for the export of EEA-origin personal data.