Pensions Ombudsman to take pro-active legal role after liberation court battle

Hughes v Royal London decided in February

Jenna Towler
clock • 1 min read

The Pensions Ombudsman is to increase its participation in legal appeals due to the outcome of the Royal London liberation case earlier this year.

The contentious decision, in Hughes v Royal London, ended up in the High Court after the provider blocked a suspect pension transfer. The Pension Ombudsman had originally ruled in favour of Royal London, however, the case was successfully appealed to the High Court which overturned that decision. Legal experts said in February the outcome left savers at "greater risk" from pension scams. The Pensions Ombudsman, Anthony Arter, said the case made him reconsider the office's position of rarely getting involved in legal disputes. Previously it only got involved if an appeal raised questio...

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