This Order, made by His Majesty in Council, formally brings into effect the Convention and Protocol between the United Kingdom and Romania, signed in November 2024, designed to eliminate double taxation on income and capital gains, prevent tax evasion and avoidance, and establish frameworks for mutual assistance in tax enforcement between the two countries, thereby replacing the previous 1975 Convention.

This Order formally brings into effect the Convention between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Principality of Andorra, signed on February 20, 2025, aimed at eliminating double taxation on income and capital, preventing tax evasion and avoidance, and facilitating international tax enforcement; the Schedule includes the full text of this Convention, along with subsequent Notes Verbales from June 2025 that formally correct a clerical error found in Article 18 concerning Government Service payments, making the corrected text legally effective upon the Order's enactment.

This Order formally enacts into UK law a new Convention and accompanying Protocol between the United Kingdom and the Portuguese Republic, signed in September 2025, designed to eliminate double taxation on income and capital gains, prevent tax evasion and avoidance, and establish mechanisms for mutual assistance in tax enforcement, thereby clarifying taxing rights and providing legal certainty for residents and enterprises of both nations concerning income tax, corporation tax, and capital gains tax.

This Order formally brings into force the Convention and accompanying Protocol between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Republic of Peru, which aims to eliminate double taxation on income and capital gains, prevent tax evasion and avoidance, and establish mutual assistance mechanisms for international tax enforcement, setting out detailed rules for the allocation of taxing rights, definitions of residency and permanent establishment, and procedures for dispute resolution.

The Treasury enacted these Regulations using powers under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 to amend the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 (Commencement No. 10 and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2025.

The primary goal is to modify how permissions granted by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) under provisions of the Capital Requirements Regulation are treated after their scheduled revocation takes effect on January 1st, 2026, by ensuring certain permissions continue to have effect under relevant sections of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA 2000) and preserving the PRA’s power to update related delegated technical standards.

These Regulations, made by the Treasury and the Secretary of State under the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018, introduce various amendments to UK customs regulations, primarily focused on updating the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) origin rules and linked preferential arrangements, effective January 1, 2026.

Key changes involve differentiating origin rules for Enhanced Preference (EP) and Standard Preference (SP) countries, updating the criteria for 'economically vulnerable countries,' reclassifying Vanuatu from a Least Developed Country (LDC) to an 'other eligible developing country,' and updating the version numbers of several foundational customs reference documents.

These Rules amend the Court Funds Rules 2011 to provide enhanced detail on how the Accountant General manages and invests sterling deposits separately from foreign currency deposits held in court.

Key changes involve specifying when interest accrues daily (for sterling) versus under foreign account terms, outlining investment procedures for foreign currency based on court schedules or directions, and simplifying payment-out procedures under the Civil Procedure Rules.

The Secretary of State issued the South East Water Limited (River Ouse and Shell Brook) Drought Order 2025, effective from December 3, 2025, until June 2, 2026, to address a threatened serious water supply deficiency in the Sussex region caused by an exceptional shortage of rain.

This Order temporarily modifies South East Water Limited's existing abstraction licence (No. 21/128) by reducing required compensation release volumes to the Shell Brook, altering the natural flow conditions under which water can be abstracted from the River Ouse at Barcombe, and enabling abstraction at Ardingly during the Order's duration.

The Order mandates adherence to an environmental monitoring plan and specific mitigation measures detailed in a supporting Environmental Assessment Report.