Why socialist lawyers are coming for your Percy Pigs

Marks & Spencer (M&S), a beloved British retailer, recently suffered a crippling cyberattack that disrupted operations, including the sale of popular items like Percy Pigs. Following the attack, Thompsons Scotland, a law firm with close ties to the trade union movement and the Labour Party, initiated a class action lawsuit against M&S. The lawsuit claims customers are entitled to compensation for the “distress and anxiety” caused by the data breach, a move criticized as opportunistic and potentially damaging to the company.

This case highlights a growing trend of American-style class action lawsuits in the UK, enabled by recent governmental changes, which are proving costly for businesses and often benefit law firms more than the claimants themselves. Critics, including shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith, argue this represents a “party-aligned lawfare agenda.” The Adam Smith Institute estimates these claims totaled £135bn in 2024.

The author expresses concern that the current Labour government, with its focus on expanded collective bargaining rights and a City Minister seemingly aligned with claimant firms, is contributing to the erosion of the British legal system. Coupled with other policy changes, this situation is portrayed as a threat to British businesses and the integrity of the legal system itself, culminating in the assertion that “a government led by a lawyer is making an ass of the law.”

(Source：City A.M.)