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17 October 2025 / Fred Philpott
Issue: 8135 / Categories: Opinion , Consumer , Financial services litigation , Commercial , Transport
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Motor finance: payback time?

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Hot on the heels of the FCA’s proposed redress scheme, Fred Philpott considers the winners & losers

Following the Supreme Court’s decisions on motor finance commission, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a proposed redress scheme. On 7 October 2025, after the markets closed (the likely financial impact of the proposals dictated this timing, as the cost to the credit business was estimated in the proposal at £11bn), the FCA published for consultation the proposed scheme for the credit businesses involved (‘Consultation paper CP25/27: Motor Finance Consumer Redress Scheme’.

Background

In Johnson v FirstRand Bank Ltd (London Branch) (trading as Motonovo Finance) and other cases [2025] UKSC 33, [2025] 3 WLR 423 (also known as Hopcraft v Close Brothers Ltd), the Supreme Court rejected allegations that motor finance commission constituted a bribe, or that there was a fiduciary relationship between the motor dealer and the credit provider. However, in the case of Johnson, it was held that there was an unfair relationship under s 140A

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

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Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire

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Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist

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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