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Opposition peers and leading legal figures will today try and curb the government’s whiplash reforms as the Civil Liability Bill enters its crucial report stage. Following last month’s committee stage, during which amendments probed the government’s thinking but were not pushed to a vote, this is the day when peers will make changes to the bill, if at all.

Four in five motorists do not think it is likely that their insurer will cut premiums after saving more than £1bn under the government’s personal injury (PI) reforms. A similar number would not know what to do if the reforms forced them to pursue a PI claim on their own.

While discussing the Claims Liability Bill in the House of Lords last month, Conservative Baroness Berridge, a former barrister, voiced her concerns. She argued that, while the bill may well support the government’s aim of reducing fraudulent personal injury claims, this could be at the expense of those most vulnerable, the claimants themselves. “It is a high burden on your Lordships’ House to ensure that the bill hits the target of fraudulent claims as accurately as it can without the shrapnel hitting genuine claimants,” she said. There is good reason for her to be apprehensive.

The Financial Conduct Authority has set out the more stringent regime it intends to apply to claims management companies when it takes over their regulation on 1 April 2019. A consultation on its new rules said that “when working well, CMCs can provide useful services for customers”, but it also identified several “harms” to consumers.

A website offering free legal advice to injured cyclists has been launched with the aim of removing the need for solicitors and saving victims “an average of £800”. It offers a possible vision of the future if the small claims limit goes up as intended by the government.