Our specialists recommend that the ‘must-dos’ for the first 100 days should be focused on addressing some key areas to support individuals.
- Rethink Inheritance Tax (IHT) increases – The new Labour Government should maintain the current system for IHT and reconsider increasing rates for larger estates and/or the reform on reliefs that can be claimed. Without reliefs, the death of a business owner could mean the end of a family-run business and could have other wide-ranging implications. We urge the new Government to ensure that any decisions are fully costed and are made in consultation with the Office for Budget Responsibility and practitioners in the field.
- Continuation of the Mediation Voucher Scheme – A lot has been said about the backlogs faced in the court system. To ease this burden, the new Labour Government should commit to continuing the Mediation Voucher Scheme.
- Commit to cohabitation reform – The new Labour Government should prioritise plans for cohabitation reform. The new Secretary of State for Justice could build upon the proposals put forward by the Law Commission in July 2022, which removed the introduction of a new legal framework for cohabiting couples.
- Stop further Family Court closures – The new Labour Government should avoid closing any further Family Court locations. Irrespective of the digitalisation and implementation of digital services, it is imperative that users of the Family Court and the Court of Protection have proper access to justice and that court hearings are held in person unless there is sufficient justification as to why they cannot. Users of these courts are often from disadvantaged economic backgrounds and further closures could mean that they are having to travel further, costing more to attend court and get access to justice.
- Press ahead with Legal Aid Reforms – The new Labour Government should prioritise plans to reform Legal Aid, which have been delayed until 2026. The new Government should not only prioritise the means test reforms and bring them in line with inflation, it should also review and reform the merits test and how it is applied. The merits test should not be a ‘one size fits all’, as this can lead to the absence of funding for vulnerable people, notably those in Court of Protection proceedings.