Horizon compensation board warns legal regulators lack powers to pursue Post Office lawyers
The Horizon Compensation Advisory Board has warned the government and the Legal Services Board that gaps in legal regulators' evidence-gathering powers could delay or defeat misconduct cases against lawyers involved in the Post Office Horizon scandal, according to newly published correspondence reported by Legal Futures on October 15, 2026. The board said the Bar Standards Board cannot compel evidence, unlike the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Key points
- Board chair Christopher Hodges called the missing power a significant omission in the regulatory toolbox.Legal Futures
- In June the board told the prime minister's then chief secretary that legislation may be needed to fix the gap.Legal Futures
- It also cited a September High Court ruling that the SRA lacked power to compel privileged material in the Carter-Ruck case.Legal Futures
- The SRA has permission to seek a leapfrog appeal to the Supreme Court in that case.Legal Futures
- LSB chair Monisha Shah said the LSB will explore possible statutory routes with regulators and the Ministry of Justice.Legal Futures