United Kingdom: Shareholders

This Corporate Update bulletin examines the most significant UK legal developments of 2026, from capital markets reform and employment rights legislation to corporate criminal liability expansion and competition regime changes. The analysis covers ten major areas of corporate law evolution, alongside recent FCA guidance on regulatory announcements and a High Court decision on shareholder-director settlements.

There are a number of recurring themes in claims against auditors: who auditors owe their duties to; the scope of those duties, how and when an auditor should resign and the causative effect of breaches are all key considerations and these issues were once again front and centre in the recent case of The Enterprise Wine Investment Scheme Ltd v Crowe UK LLP [2026] EWHC 692.

The High Court granted urgent interim relief under section 25 of the Civil Jurisdiction and Judgments Act 1982 to protect English subsidiary assets during Isle of Man shareholder proceedings. The case demonstrates how English courts can swiftly intervene when a same-day asset disposal raises questions about value, connected-party involvement, and lack of disclosure to a 50% shareholder.