In AD Bly Groundworks and Civil Engineering Ltd v HMRC  [2025] EWCA Civ 1443, the Court of Appeal has upheld the decision of the Upper Tribunal that a company’s liabilities representing its promise to provide future pension benefits to key employees via an UURBS were incurred for the purpose of a tax avoidance scheme rather than expenses incurred wholly and exclusively for the purposes of the company’s trade, so that those liabilities were not deductible from the company’s pr

In November 2024, the Deputy Pensions Ombudsman issued a 768-paragraph determination in which he found the trustees and managers of 3 pension schemes liable for dishonest breaches of duty with regard to the investment of scheme assets as part of a pension liberation exercise. An appeal from that determination has been dismissed by Richards J: Brambles Administration Limited v Harvey . The appeal was on limited grounds, relating to the time limits for bringing complaints, the

Samuel Fulda and Eoin O’Shea of CMS ask whether it is time for trustees and scheme employers to implement sanctions screening into their pension scheme administration. To read the article, click on the pdf below.

In a special edition of Talking Pensions (recorded in November 2025), Paul talks to Carly Barnes-Short and Sue Flood (pictured below), who are members of the Advisory Panel to the Parliamentary Investment Fraud Committee. They discuss the impact of pension and investment fraud on victims and on the changes to law and regulation that are needed to make the system work better. To read a transcript of this podcast, click on the pdf below.

Edward Sawyer of Wilberforce Chambers considers a recent determination of the Deputy Pensions Ombudsman on a pension transfer claim, deciding that scheme trustees owed no general duty to undertake due diligence on behalf of the transferring member, and declining to follow the High Court’s decision in Hughes v Royal London . To read the article, click on the pdf below.

Naomi Kilcoyne of Wilberforce Chambers looks at KO UK Pension Trustees v Barker , in which the High Court recently authorised the unlocking of surplus assets in the Coca-Cola pension scheme. To read the article, click on the pdf below.

An amendment to the Pension Schemes Bill has today been tabled by the Chair of the Business and Trade Committee which seeks to add to the matters which pension scheme trustees and managers can take into account when selecting investments.   Those matters are:   “system-level considerations”, defined as risks and opportunities that cannot be fully managed through diversification alone and which arise from sector-level circumstances, including environmental or social matters; t

In this episode (recorded in June 2025), Paul talks to pensions law legend Robin Ellison about his legal career, his role in establishing Perspective and in the College of Lawmakers, and his views on the Pension Schemes Bill. To view a transcript of the podcast, click on the pdf below.

Paul Newman KC looks at a recent High Court case dealing with further issues arising from the enforcement of judgment debts against...

As expected, the Financial Reporting Council has announced that it will develop technical guidance to support scheme actuaries in...