With so much change for UK businesses, here is a quick roundup of some recent legal and regulatory updates and changes that may affect your business.
Companies House changes
Running a business continues to get more complex and costly, with Companies House no exception. A GOV.UK One Login is now required to access WebFiling accounts and individual directors and PSCs will shortly also need to verify their ID. Additionally, Companies House have just announced fee increases from February 2026, including a rise in the digital filing fee for confirmation statements (an annual requirement for companies and LLPs) to £50.
Data protection reform
The ICO has launched consultations on draft guidance relating to amendments which will be made to the UK GDPR by the Data Use and Access Act (DUAA). This includes guidance on the new lawful basis of ‘recognised legitimate interest’ and the new requirement for all organisations to have a process to handle data protection complaints. The ICO has also opened consultations on draft updated guidance for storage and access technologies (i.e. cookies) and direct marketing guidance to provide for the charitable purposes soft opt in. For more data protection news, you can also read our latest data protection quarterly news roundup here.
Employment law reform
Much like data protection reform, the Employment Rights Bill remains in a legislative ping pong between the House of Lords and the House of Commons. At the end of October, the House of Lords again repeated its requirement for a small number of changes to the Bill, including changing the proposed day one right not to be unfairly dismissed to require a six-month qualifying period. Despite this, the Bill is expected to pass soon, as most of its contents are agreed, so employers should be preparing for change as we have discussed previously and consultations on some of the changes are already in progress.
Sanctions
In September, the government released a Starter Guide to UK Sanctions, offering an overview of the regime for businesses. Given the serious consequences of non-compliance, including criminal prosecution and civil penalties, it’s essential for all businesses to understand how the regime operates. The government have also announced a single sanctions list for UK designations will be introduced from 28 January 2026.
Modern Slavery
In October, the government published its response to the UK Joint Committee on Human Rights’ July 2025 report on its inquiry into forced labour in international supply chains. The report recommended sweeping reforms to the current legal framework, including strengthening the reporting duty in section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. On this point, whilst the government acknowledged the UK’s approach needs to evolve it also said that significant long-term reform will take time and highlighted that the Home Office has recently published updated and more comprehensive Transparency in Supply Chains statutory guidance.
Retailers
The latest amendments to the Price Marking Order (PMO) rules, which outline how retailers must display both selling and unit prices to consumers, will take effect on 6 April 2026 and DSIT has published new guidance.
Cyber security
Finally, the cyber security landscape is developing at pace in response to technological advancements and threats. You can read more on that in our article here.
Keep an eye out for The Forum newsletter for regular news and updates to support your organisation. If you are a regular LinkedIn user connect with Louise Thompson, who leads The Forum, for more regular updates.
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Disclaimer
This information is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. We recommend seeking professional advice before taking any action on the information provided. If you would like to discuss your specific circumstances, please feel free to contact us on 0800 2800 421.
