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There is perhaps no figure in modern Britain whose authority on questions of justice and compensation carries greater weight than Sir Alan Bates. For more than two decades, he pursued a campaign that many considered unwinnable, refusing to accept official assurances and institutional denials as he fought to expose what would eventually be recognised as one of the gravest miscarriages of justice in British legal history. His persistence not only vindicated hundreds of wrongly accused sub-postmasters but also forced politicians, regulators and the wider public to confront profound failures at the heart of both the Post Office and the state itself.It is therefore striking that Bates has now turned his attention to the very compensation schemes established to remedy those injustices.Appearing before MPs last week, Bates delivered a devastating assessment of the arrangements designed to compensate Horizon victims, describing them as an "utter disaster" and expressing frustration at a process that, in his view, has become bogged down in bureaucracy, delay and procedural complexity. His criticism was not simply directed at individual decisions or administrative shortcomings. Rather, it reflected a broader concern that a system ostensibly designed to deliver justice has instead become another obstacle standing between victims and the compensation they were promised.
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Consumer Voice has criticised Rachel Reeves' proposed financial services reforms, warning they could weaken compensation protections and reduce the number of complaints reaching the Financial Ombudsman Service.But fewer complaints do not automatically mean weaker consumer protection.For too long, Britain's compensation culture has been driven by claims firms, litigation funders and campaign groups that measure success by the volume of cases rather than the quality of outcomes. A system flooded with technical complaints and procedural disputes benefits lawyers and claims companies far more than ordinary consumers.
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For years, Britain's class action industry has thrived on a simple formula – launch a headline-grabbing claim, secure litigation funding, recruit claimants and pile pressure on defendants to settle.A recent High Court costs ruling arising from a £1 billion group action suggests that approach is finally facing judicial resistance.The court's criticism of the claimants' "cavalier" conduct sends a clear message – collective litigation is not a risk-free commercial exercise. Firms that pursue vast claims without proper preparation, case management or evidential foundations should expect consequences.
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The litigation funding industry likes to present itself as the engine of “access to justice”.But the collapse of another major funder tells a different story.According to reports, administrators are now investigating transfers made before the company entered administration, including dealings involving a former subsidiary.For consumers signed up to funded group claims, the episode raises an obvious question – what happens when the people financing the litigation run out of money themselves?
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The UK's class action industry has spent years portraying itself as a noble crusade against corporate wrongdoing. But behind the glossy marketing, celebrity endorsements and billion-pound claims, an increasingly familiar picture is emerging – financial disputes, governance concerns and mounting questions about who really benefits from this litigation boom.The latest development comes from claimant law firm Pogust Goodhead, one of the most prominent names in Britain's rapidly expanding group litigation sector.According to reports in the Law Society Gazette, the firm has been ordered to face a claim for £2.2 million in allegedly unpaid legal fees brought by another law firm. A court rejected efforts to strike out the claim, meaning the dispute will now proceed through the courts.
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The UK may be edging closer to a major expansion of collective litigation.The Law Commission is considering whether England and Wales should introduce a broader consumer class action regime beyond competition law — potentially allowing mass claims across sectors including insurance, banking, telecoms and retail.Supporters describe the move as improving “access to justice”. Critics see something else – the creation of a much larger litigation industry.
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Independent information platform on class action risks, litigation funding structures, and claimant awareness.