Your commercial news round-up: LGBTQ+ rights, global warming, Sainsbury’s and Asda, junior doctors strike, no-fault evictions

Reading time: four minutes

It’s Pride Month, so this week’s round-up first focuses on the home office’s monumental decision to expand its scheme to wipe historical convictions for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Although this action doesn’t undo the wrongs of the past, it’s a step forward. This is followed by a dive into global warming, supermarket giants and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), striking junior doctors, and the latest legislation to protect renters. Sit back, relax and get commercially aware.

• The home office has expanded the scheme to wipe historic convictions for “homosexual activity”. This is a significant step forward from the UK to address past wrongs. Under the expansion, for the first time women can apply to have their convictions wiped if they’ve been convicted or cautioned under any repealed or abolished offences relating to same-sex activity from 13 June 2023. The expansion includes offences such as “solicitation by men”, which has sometimes been used to criminalise behaviour between gay men. Sarah Dines, minister for safeguarding, commented: “The appalling criminalisation of homosexuality is a shameful and yet not so distant part of our history. Although they can never be undone, the disregards and pardons scheme has gone some way to right the wrongs of the past.” The scheme was first announced in 2022 and will pardon and delete the convictions of those unjustly criminalised from official records.
   
• The sun is shining, but at what cost? Global temperatures have accelerated to record-high levels this month, ahead of a gathering El Niño that could potentially leave 2023 the hottest year ever recorded. Temperatures have measured 1°C above levels recorded in June, a record high when measured against data going back to 1979. Climate scientists fear that this is part of a pattern of strengthening global heating that could see 2023 named the hottest on record, despite the month not being over yet. Long-term warming conditions triggered by the burning of fossil fuels will likely add further heat via El Niño, a naturally reoccurring event where sections of the Pacific Ocean heat up, characteristically causing temperatures to spike globally. Michael Mann, a climate scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, said: “The global surface temperature anomaly is at or near record levels right now, and 2023 will almost certainly be the warmest year on record.” Mann later added that this “is likely to be true for just about every El Niño year in the future as well, as long we continue to warm the planet with fossil fuel burning and carbon pollution”.
   
• Supermarket giants Sainsbury’s and Asda have been warned by the CMA to stop using “unlawful” land agreements to prevent rivals from opening shops near their existing stores. The CMA has reported that their actions may have reduced consumer choice of groceries and access to cheaper prices in particular areas. David Stewart, the executive director of markets and mergers at the CMA  commented: "Restrictions of this nature are against the law, cause real harm to shoppers and will not be tolerated. This is particularly important at a time when many families are struggling to pay their weekly grocery bills.” According to the CMA, Sainsbury's and Asda had both placed restrictions on land they own to stop it from being used by rival supermarkets between 2011 and 2019. They added that legal agreements were used by both to block landlords from allowing competing stores on land in the same block as existing shops. Asda allegedly breached the Groceries Market Investigation (Controlled Land) Order 2010 14 times, while Sainsbury’s did so on 18 separate occasions.
   
• Junior doctors in England have begun a new wave of strike action, with a warning that this will have an "enormous impact on routine care for patients". The 72-hour walkout is taking place from 7am on Wednesday 14 June to 7am on Saturday 17 June, fuelled by the government’s unwillingness to budge on its current pay offer. The British Medical Association (BMA) called the government's 5% pay offer "paltry" and said talks had become "unproductive", especially given the 26% "pay erosion” doctors have experienced over the past 15 years as their wages haven’t kept up with inflation. It’s thought that up to 47,600 junior doctors, all members of the BMA union will walk out. Four in 10 junior doctors are looking to leave the NHS, according to the BMA, alluding to the current level of pay, deteriorating work conditions and pay erosion as reasons for their early departure from the profession. It's hoped that the action will get them one step closer to the 35% pay rise they’ve requested to reverse the impact of years’ worth of pay erosion.
   
• A record number of renters are seeking help with no-fault evictions according to Citizens Advice. This is perhaps due to the banning of these evictions under a new piece of legislation, with landlords pushing cases through before the practice becomes illegal. The charity has helped 25% more people with section 21 evictions since May 2022, with almost 2,000 people helped last month. No-fault evictions will be prohibited in the renters’ reform bill, tabled last month by the secretary of state, Michael Gove, affecting 11 million private renters. The National Residential Landlords Association also said record numbers of landlords are selling up as mortgage interest rates keep rising. Ben Beadle, chief executive of the lobby group, stated: “The main reason landlords are seeking possession of properties is that it is no longer viable to continue letting.”

Check the News every Thursday for this weekly commercial news round-up. Or prefer to listen to your commercial news? Why not check out our brand-new Commercial Connect podcast?    

Follow LawCareers.Net on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram for regular business news updates.