LEXLAW Solicitors & Barristers
Sections 235 and 236 of the Insolvency Act 1986 impose powerful duties on company directors, officers, employees, and even third parties to co-operate with insolvency office-holders such as liquidators and administrators. Failure to assist properly during liquidation, administration, or bankruptcy can result in personal sanctions, court orders, fines, and even director disqualification.
A HMRC Time to Pay (TTP) arrangement lets businesses spread unpaid tax over manageable monthly instalments. In 2026, with HMRC enforcement increasing, well-prepared TTP proposals backed by financial evidence help avoid winding-up petitions, protect directors, and keep businesses trading.
Contrary to common belief, unpaid High Court & County Court judgments (CCJs) do not always become unenforceable after six years. With proper legal procedures and court permission, creditors can successfully enforce judgment debts many years old.
Former tennis champion Boris Becker was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after being found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act, 1986. Becker has now been discharged and is no longer Bankrupt.
In Les Ambassadeurs Club Ltd v Albluewi [2020] EWHC 1313 (QB), the High Court discharged a worldwide freezing order (WFO) obtained by a casino against its customer in finding that the claimant had failed to establish a real risk of dissipation of assets and that there had been material non-disclosures which were directly relevant to the risk.