United Kingdom: International Law

The UK Supreme Court has resolved a critical question about whether creditors can use unrecognised foreign judgments to initiate bankruptcy proceedings in England and Wales. The landmark decision in Drelle v Servis-Terminal LLC examines the 'obligation principle' and determines what constitutes a qualifying debt under the Insolvency Act 1986, potentially streamlining the process for international creditors seeking to pursue insolvency actions without formal judgment recognition.

Keystone Law explores the complexities surrounding overseas witnesses in coronial inquests, examining the legal frameworks that govern their participation and the expanded powers available to coroners. The article addresses the practical challenges that arise when crucial witnesses are located abroad and analyzes how recent legislative changes have strengthened coronial authority in compelling testimony from international sources.

The EU's e-Evidence Package introduces a direct cross-border framework allowing authorities to compel electronic evidence from service providers through binding Production and Preservation Orders. U.S. companies offering cloud, communications, or data-driven services to EU users face immediate operational obligations including appointing EU representatives, meeting shortened response windows, and navigating potential conflicts with U.S. law.

Cross-border lending in the mid-market presents unique challenges that require careful planning and attention to detail. What are the critical legal and structural considerations that lenders and borrowers must address early in the transaction process to ensure successful international financing arrangements?

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The UK's e-bike trade remedy review demonstrates how economic modelling can balance domestic industry protection against broader public interest. Through partial-equilibrium analysis, the UK Trade Remedies Authority quantified the costs and benefits of different remedial options, ultimately recommending modified measures that protected UK producers in specific segments while minimizing consumer impact.

The UK's Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation has released its Annual Review for 2025-2026, revealing significant insights into licence application processing times, investigation trends, and enforcement activities.

HM Revenue and Customs has issued its largest sanctions-related compound penalty to date, fining Illumina Cambridge Limited over £7.4 million for breaches of UK Russian sanctions. The company was penalized for its involvement in the supply of sanctioned goods between overseas companies within its corporate group for export to Russia and other destinations between July 2022 and January 2023.

European and UK authorities are dramatically escalating sanctions enforcement against Russia-related violations, marking an unprecedented shift from policy development to aggressive prosecution. Recent actions span criminal convictions with multi-year prison sentences, substantial asset seizures, maritime interdictions of shadow fleet vessels, and penalties targeting both physical goods and digital infrastructure networks.