The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary has released its Commercial Court Report for 2024–2025, incorporating the Admiralty Court Report, providing the latest statistical overview of arbitration-related claims brought before the English Commercial Court. Arbitration claims accounted for approximately 30% of all claims issued in the Commercial Court during the reporting period.
These encompassed a broad range of applications, including requests for injunctive relief, enforcement of arbitral awards, appointment of arbitrators and appeals and challenges under <span class="news-text_italic-underline">The Arbitration Act 1996</span> (“<span class="news-text_medium">AA 1996</span>”). The period was also marked by the coming into force of <span class="news-text_italic-underline">The Arbitration Act 2025</span> on 1 August 2025, which introduced a series of updates to the AA 1996 framework.
In line with previous years, the majority of claims concerned challenges to awards under sections 67 to 69 AA 1996, enforcement applications under sections 66 and 101 and applications for injunctive relief under section 44. The key figures are as follows:
- <span class="news-text_medium">Section 67 - Lack of Substantive Jurisdiction:</span> 21 applications were made during the year, representing a modest decrease from the 24 recorded in the prior period. Of these, five were dismissed following a hearing, two were dismissed on paper, one was unsuccessful, one was discontinued and 12 remain pending.
- <span class="news-text_medium">Section 68 - Serious Irregularity:</span> Applications rose by 23%, from 39 in the previous year to 48 in 2024–2025. Five were dismissed on paper, eight were dismissed at a hearing, four were discontinued, three were transferred out and two were stayed. The remaining 26 applications are still pending.
- <span class="news-text_medium">Section 69 - Appeal on a Point of Law:</span> This category saw the most significant increase, with 73 applications representing a 38% rise from the 53 recorded the previous year. Permission to appeal was granted in 18 cases and refused in 21. Two appeals were unsuccessful, four were discontinued and one was transferred out. As of October 2025, 45 cases were still awaiting a permission decision. The average time for determining permission applications increased slightly to 118 days, compared with 115 days in the prior year, whilst the average completion time for cases where permission was granted rose considerably to 308 days, up from 214 days in 2023–2024.
- <span class="news-text_medium">Section 44 - Applications for Injunctive Relief:</span> There were 34 applications, a 32% decrease from the 50 recorded in the previous year.
<span class="news-text_medium">Source:</span> Courts and Tribunals Judiciary - <a href="https://www.judiciary.uk/guidance-and-resources/commercial-court-annual-report-2024-2025/" target="_blank" class="news-text_link">Commercial Court Annual Report 2024–2025</a> (25 March 2026)
