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05 August 2020 / Ian Smith
Issue: 7898 / Categories: Features , Employment
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Employment law brief: 7 August 2020

25495
Before signing off for the summer break, Ian Smith tackles some small but mighty points of interpretation

In brief

  • How long is short?
  • Notice withdrawn…or not?
  • Accommodation deductions: a difficult precedent.
  • Has the employee affirmed the contract after employer repudiation?
  • Bringing a claim as a matter of principle.

This month’s Brief contains five recent cases, all of which concern short but important points of interpretation—when is an agency-provided worker’s engagement ‘temporary’? When can notice of termination be withdrawn? What is the position of an accommodation deduction for national minimum wage (NMW) purposes where the accommodation is provided by a third party? How does the concept of affirmation of employer behaviour apply when the employee has appealed? Can an ex-employee bring an unfair dismissal claim, even if there is no chance of monetary compensation if successful? Four of the cases provide welcome clarifications, but the NMW case has to be read with caution and arguably fires a shot across the bows of any employer providing accommodation for workers through

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NEWS
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
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