14th Programme of Law Reform
The 14th Programme of Law Reform was launched on 4 September 2025.
Under the Law Commissions Act 1965, the Law Commission is required to submit Programmes of law reform to the Lord Chancellor. Since then, the Commission has set out the areas it intends to work on every few years for the next period.
In developing each Law Reform Programme, the Commission undertakes a consultation to seek the public’s views on the issues most in need of reform. For the 14th Programme, the Commission received around 500 submissions. From those suggestions, the Commissioners chose topics for their new Programme. All have an acknowledgement from the Government that there is a serious intention to reform the law in the relevant area.
Alongside the seventeen existing projects, ten new projects are announced, covering areas from crime and commercial law to property and public law
Consulting with experts and the public, the Commission will be taking forward these projects to ensure the law is modern, simple, fair and cost-effective as it makes its recommendations for reform.
Law Commission Chair Sir Peter Fraser said:
“With this 14th Programme of Law Reform, we are laying out a substantial body of work that will bring the existing law up to date. As always, there has been great interest in our Programme, and I would like to thank the hundreds of individuals and organisations who responded to our consultation. It is because of these contributions that we have been able to develop this diverse and forward-looking Programme of Law.
“Our values are independence, integrity and expertise. In all our projects, we endeavour to provide high-quality recommendations for law reform for Parliament to consider so that the law remains modern and relevant to our changing society.”
The ten new projects in the 14th Programme are
- Agricultural tenancies
- Commercial leasehold
- Consent in the criminal law
- Deeds
- The defence of insanity
- Desecration of a corpse
- Management of housing estates
- Ownerless land
- Product liability
- Public sector automated decision-making
This Programme represents a significant body of work for the Law Commission over the upcoming period. The Law Commission continues seventeen existing projects alongside this new Programme, including ongoing work on criminal appeals, disabled children’s social care, and digital assets in international law. We also expect to take on additional projects referred to us by Ministers. This sustained commitment to legal modernisation ensures England and Wales maintain a legal system that is fair, modern, simple, and cost-effective.
The timetable for each new project will be announced in due course.