The Times reported yesterday on the continued promotion of an “insolvency avoidance” scheme, despite efforts by the Insolvency Service to close it down. The scheme claims to offer directors of distressed companies a means of avoiding formal liquidation – with the associated scrutiny of their actions and risk of personal liability.

The recent revelations about the Atherton Scheme, as reported by The Times, have left many in the legal and business communities surprised. Despite significant government efforts to clamp down on insolvency avoidance practices, this contentious scheme continues to operate, raising serious concerns about its impact on creditors and the integrity of the insolvency regime.

What is the Atherton Scheme?

There have been a string of high-profile celebrity bankruptcies over the decades, and most recently, Katie Price. A common theme among these celebrities, many of whom were former contestants on the ITV hit show “I’m a Celebrity,” is that they were bankrupted by HMRC for unpaid taxes.

It is essential that any UK individual or entity doing business, managing funds/other economic resources, or providing financing or professional services, keeps abreast of the current UK Russian sanctions regime, which is chiefly set out in the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (the "Regulations"). The question of how the Regulations might apply to those with fiduciary duties – either as trustees or as directors – has been considered in two recent High Court cases.

The Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Sequana¹leaves many unanswered questions, and finding a common thread between the four quite separate judgments has proved challenging for practitioners and directors alike. The recent decision in Hunt v.

The latest government insolvency statistics highlight that the downturn in the UK economy is still taking a significant toll and the number of UK corporate insolvencies in February 2024 remains high (and 17% higher compared to February 2023).

Latest insolvency statistics

February 2024 saw 2,102 company insolvencies, the highest February figures for at least four years.

Ever since unpaid taxes due to HMRC were “crammed down” pursuant to a restructuring plan that it voted against but did not actively oppose in Houst,¹ HMRC has challenged restructuring plans and asserted its interests more aggressively, causing the failure of restructuring plans inNasmyth

Following a series of important decisions in England and across Europe, it is now beyond doubt that court-based restructuring processes should be approached from the outset as pieces of litigation.

We have seen increasingly sophisticated challenges to restructurings, which the courts are willing to accommodate. In appropriate cases, the courts have also refused to sanction restructurings.

HMRC has recently updated its published guidance on the effect of insolvency on existing VAT groups following appointment of an insolvency practitioner.

The updated guidance

The updated guidance provides that:

As 2023 ends and insolvency rates hit worrying new highs, any suggestion that there is light at the end of the UK’s economic tunnel is not supported by the statistics. We look at what may lie ahead for the restructuring and insolvency sector next year.