BCL partner John Binns discusses which Bills in the Queen’s Speech might have impacted corporate crime lawyers and the issues they may face.
Here is an extract from the article:
The Queen’s Speech of 14 October 2019 had an unusual political context, and given the subsequent dissolution of Parliament, it might now be best considered as effectively an annex to the Conservatives’ election manifesto. With that caveat in mind, it and its associated Background Briefing provide a useful insight into potential imminent legislative developments, several of which have potential relevance to corporate crime lawyers.
The key proposal of course is the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill (EU(WA)B), which is designed to give effect to the UK’s decision to leave the EU on the terms negotiated by the Prime Minister. That in turn provides the necessity for the proposed Bills on financial services, medicines and medical devices, and extradition, as well as the already published Environment Bill. All of these have potential relevance to corporate crime lawyers, as do the Pension Schemes Bill, the Sentencing (Pre-Consolidation Amendments) Bill, and the proposal for new building safety standards legislation.
This article was originally published by LexisNexis on 12th November. You can read and download the full PDF here.