The Supreme Court has ruled that Providence Building Services was not entitled to terminate its £7.2m JCT Design & Build 2016 contract with Hexagon Housing Association over two late payments on a six-block social housing scheme in Purley. Interpreting clause 8.9, five law lords held unanimously that a contractor must first accrue a termination right under clause 8.9.3, meaning a second late payment only justifies termination if the first was more than 28 days overdue. The decision confirms that identical wording in the 2024 JCT D&B edition also offers stronger protection to employers against “trigger happy” termination over minor payment delays.

US lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill to create a $2.5 billion Strategic Resilience Reserve for critical minerals, with a seven-member board empowered to buy, store and sell materials such as rare earths, lithium, graphite and cobalt across US facilities. The reserve would prioritise recycled feedstock but also accept mined material, recycle sale proceeds back into operations, and allow allied countries to join with contributions of at least $100 million. Proponents aim to counter China’s control of about 60% of mined rare earths and most downstream processing, and to anchor a Western price benchmark for currently thinly traded minerals.

Kevin Rudd’s decision to step down as Australia’s ambassador to the US at the end of March injects uncertainty into a role that has been central to negotiating critical minerals, defence-industrial integration and US Inflation Reduction Act access for Australian projects. His replacement will inherit files covering lithium, rare earths and graphite supply chains, AUKUS-related technology transfer, and efforts to secure US offtake and financing for Australian mines via mechanisms such as the US Defence Production Act and Export-Import Bank. For miners, any gap or policy reset in Washington could slow permitting, funding decisions and long-term offtake agreements.