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Wednesday, 4 November 2026

Compiled with AI from public news sources. Folio is editorial commentary for commercial-awareness practice, not legal advice. Verify any detail against the linked sources before relying on it professionally.

All M&A Banking & Finance Energy & Tech Regulation Disputes International

Top Story/Disputes

High Court rules Cambridgeshire County Council's CQC rating condition in £928m homecare framework procurement is contested under the Procurement Act 2023

Mrs Justice Jefford handed down judgment on 3 November 2026 in Verity Healthcare Limited v Cambridgeshire County Council ([2026] EWHC 2830 (TCC)), a procurement challenge with significant implications for public sector contracting under the Procurement Act 2023. Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) is running a competitive flexible procedure to award a Homecare Framework for the provision of regulated homecare services to adults across Cambridgeshire, with a contract term of up to 10 years. The estimated total value of the framework is £928,080,000 (including VAT). Verity Healthcare, a regulated health and social care provider, challenged a condition of participation requiring bidders to hold a Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating of 'Good' or above. Verity is registered with the CQC but does not hold that rating. Its case, brought under section 22 of the Procurement Act 2023, is that the CQC Rating Condition is not proportionate and therefore unlawful. Verity sought urgent interim relief without notice when it issued its claim in August 2026, though issues around full and frank disclosure arose in that context. CCC responded by applying to strike out the claim and/or for summary judgment, arguing it was not commenced within the statutory time limit set by section 106 of the Procurement Act 2023. The judgment addresses both Verity's application for interim relief and CCC's strike-out application. The case is conducted in the Technology and Construction Court with Richard Clayton KC (instructed by Farani Taylor Solicitors) for Verity and Stephen Kosmin (instructed by Sharpe Pritchard LLP) for CCC.

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Also Today

EU-UK Competition Cooperation Agreement published on 19 October 2026, entering force on 1 December and formalising CMA-EC joint enforcement coordination

Bank of England expected to raise UK base rate from 3.75% to 4% at November meeting, its first hike in over three years, as inflation hits 3.5%

CMA Panel Composition Overhauled as Cyrus Mehta Becomes Competition Panel Chair and 12 New Members Join

USOPC engages Raine Group to explore potential sale of a stake in Team USA's commercial rights ahead of LA 2028 Olympics

UK lawyers log over 645,000 hours of pro bono work in 2025 as demand for free legal help surges 35%, with access to justice gaps widening

UK law firms recorded 645,453 hours of pro bono work in 2025, a 1.29% increase on 2024 levels, according to data from the UK Collaborative Plan for Pro Bono, released during UK…

“Rising pro bono demand measures the gap in access to justice that legal aid reform has left behind.”

Energy & Tech

HM Treasury and Bank of England Greenlight DIGIT Pilot: Six Banks Named as Lead Managers for UK's First Digitally Native Government Bond

HM Treasury has named six banks as Joint Lead Managers for the pilot issuance of the Digital Gilt Instrument (DIGIT), the UK's first digitally native government bond, with issua…

“DIGIT turns sovereign debt digitalisation from ambition into live infrastructure.”

Bigger Picture

Sector Watch

Interest Rate Reversal Pressures

The anticipated Bank of England rate hike from 3.75% to 4% at the November 2026 MPC meeting, the first increase in more than three years, is recalibrating risk across leveraged finance, real estate lending, and consumer credit simultaneously. With CPI at 3.5% and energy prices still elevated by geopolitical disruption, further hikes in early 2027 look probable, squeezing covenant headroom on floating-rate private credit facilities at exactly the moment when private equity exit conditions are already constrained. The EU-UK Competition Cooperation Agreement entering force on 1 December adds a second pressure point: businesses facing parallel CMA and European Commission investigations will need to rebuild their cross-border defence strategies around coordinated enforcement and tighter information-sharing rules. Law firms with integrated competition and leveraged finance practices, particularly those advising private equity sponsors on both deal execution and portfolio company risk, are best positioned to capture the resulting advisory volume.

One to Follow

Dianomi (DNM) scheme court meeting scheduled for 6 November 2026, with proxy deadline on 4 November, as cash and contingent consideration units are to be despatched by 30 November under a formal scheme of arrangement

The scheme timetable published on Investegate indicates a formal court-sanctioned acquisition of Dianomi is in its final stages, generating scheme of arrangement work, court sanction hearing preparation, and consideration dispatch mechanics that are core public M&A training for junior lawyers. The 31 December 2026 longstop date means any regulatory or court complications will need to resolve fast, making this one to watch for disputes arising from scheme conditions or Takeover Panel disclosure obligations.

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