Insights

UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the long-awaited Autumn Statement yesterday, detailing the new government’s tax and spend commitments alongside the OBR’s economic forecast. The delay of the budget provided Sunak and Hunt with more time to agree on areas of public spending to potentially cut. It seeks to demonstrate the economic competence and fiscal credibility that…

Rishi Sunak entered 10 Downing Street yesterday as the UK's third Prime Minister in as many months. On this recording of a GC client briefing call, recorded on October 25th, Lead Political Analyst Joe Armitage is joined by UK Country Director Alex Dawson and Director Lilah Howson-Smith to talk through Sunak's agenda.

After less than two weeks of campaigning, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak have emerged as the two candidates vying to replace outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The 180,000 members of the Conservative Party will now choose between the two over the summer. 

At the end of each year, the Global Counsel team has a tradition of sharing among ourselves a selection of our favourite articles, books and podcasts. We also share the list with our network in what has become a staple of GC holiday communications. Some of this informs our day jobs, but most of it can also be filed against the (very) interesting times we live in.

Since Omicron was first located just over a week ago – first reported to be found in South Africa, although reports have suggested that the variant was present in the Netherlands earlier than this – several countries have stepped up and responded quickly to reduce international travel and reintroduce domestic restrictions.

On a recent Global Counsel event, Practice Lead Alex Dawson is joined by a distinguished panel to explore how small businesses have adapted and transformed during the pandemic, and whether these changes are here to stay.

Another October, another party conference season is over in the UK. With a speech to the Conservative faithful in the Manchester hall, the Prime Minister set out what the second half of his parliamentary term might look like. Crucially, while he gave details of what he wanted to do, questions about the cost of living, the NHS backlog and net-zero ahead of the October…

Alex Dawson, Practice Lead for UK politics and policy; Lilah Howson-Smith, Senior Associate; and Joe Armitage, Lead Analyst for UK politics discuss UK policy divergence after Brexit, following our recent event series.

Rishi Patel, Policy Communications Practice Lead; Alex Dawson, UK Politics and Policy Practice Lead; and Matt Bevington, Senior Associate unpack what you need to know about the impact of the 'super Thursday' elections on UK politics.

Lilah Howson Smith, Senior Associate; Johnny Luk, Senior Associate; and Alex Dawson, UK Politics and Policy Practice Lead, discuss the upcoming UK elections on May 6th and why they matter.

On a call for the Global Counsel network, Stephen Adams, Senior Director, Alex Dawson, UK Politics and Policy Practice Lead and Rebecca Park, Financial Services Practice Lead examine the newly-announced UK Budget for 2021 and what it means for businesses and investors. They focus on key questions on the future of covid support schemes like furlough and business loans,…

Stephen Adams, Lilah Howson-Smith and Alex Dawson discuss GC’s report on how post-Brexit divergence will shape the UK and EU’s policy landscape, and how businesses and investors should engage with the British desire to do things differently outside the EU.

With UK-based distributors in retail and other sectors facing EU tariffs on products originating outside the EU, UK Politics and Policy Practice Lead Alex Dawson and Senior Director Stephen Adams examine how Rules of Origin requirements will affect eligibility for tariff-free access after Brexit and what this means for businesses.

As the national lockdown ends and the UK government promises a substantial return to normality by Easter, the big question for retail is what “normal” even looks like. On a recent event, Global Counsel convened a panel of experts including Emma Bridgewater, founder of her eponymous ceramics firm, Archie Norman, chairman of M&S, Laura Citron, CEO of London &…

When Boris Johnson relaunched his domestic agenda and signalled the end of England’s national lockdown In June, he placed planning reform at the centre of his plans to level-up the country and build a “new deal for Britain”. His pledge to launch the most radical reforms of England’s planning system since the second world war was followed by a consultation on a new zonal…

The 2020 UK budget was a major shakeup of the presentational landscape around the UK’s public finances. By adopting more public spending, and more borrowing to pay for it, the Conservatives have muscled in on Labour’s territory, rendering the opposition’s favourite dividing line moot.

Alongside our recent report produced with the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association, Practice Lead Alex Dawson, Adviser Leo Ringer and Senior Director Stephen Adams discuss the challenge of how we make sure people use cars in a more efficient, cleaner, cheaper, smarter way, leading to greater use of public and active transport.

As technology changes every aspect of our economy and society, policymakers across local and national government have set out visions of how they want urban transport to be revolutionised: clean, green vehicles, with significant uptake of public transport and active modes like walking and cycling.