Insights

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. 

“Onshoring” chip production is a red herring: the UK should double down on its competitive advantage in R&D and IP to create a secure semiconductor supply chain, new report finds.

‘Top in tech’ is a monthly episode from the GC tech policy team. Each month, the team lift the lid on the latest in Europe’s ‘techlash’, identifying where the debate is heading in London and Brussels, the politics behind it, and what this might mean for the apps and online services we use every day. 

In the aftermath of the largest energy company failure yet, attention in the UK is slowly shifting from the circumstances of Bulb’s administration, to what can be done by the government and regulator. Ultimately, this specific collapse must be seen in the context of the last 5 years, where the prevailing policy wisdom within the UK government has been that customers were…

The UK’s presidency of the climate change conference COP26 was seized as an opportunity to define themselves as a leader in this space on the global stage. The key goals set out by Alok Sharma, COP26 President, was “cars, coal, cash, and trees”, with other important areas requiring resolution being the finalisation of the emissions trading chapter of the Paris Agreement.

Energy prices have been rising across the world over the past weeks. Energy prices fluctuations have already occurred in the past, but this time the world is emerging from a global pandemic and high gas and power prices could hamper recovery. End consumers impoverished by covid-19 are now faced with higher bills, and businesses are either pushed out of the market or…

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…

UK businesses should be concerned by energy price spikes being experienced in Britain, not just because of the impact on their bottom lines, but also because of the reputational issues that come from skyrocketing prices. The UK government ignores the rising cost of living crisis at its peril, but crucially so does business. With the gas price hike in the domestic market,…

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.

When former Trade Secretary Liam Fox announced his full-throated support for a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) a few weeks ago, it was in many ways surprising that it had taken so long for a senior UK political figure to intervene in a debate that has been live in the EU for years.  

Tom White, Director; Ermenegilda Boccabella, Energy and Climate Adviser and Lilah Howson-Smith, Senior Associate discuss the UK's emerging priorities on energy policy after leaving the EU.

On an event for the Global Counsel network, Giulia Corsi, Senior Associate; Dr Harpreet Sood, GC Adviser and Lilah Howson-Smith, Senior Associate discuss the opportunities for the UK life sciences sector as it diverges from the EU regulatory frameworks.

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.

The UK Chancellor used last week’s budget to signal broad support for a few landmark net zero projects. However, the budget was notably thin on measures designed to mobilise both business and households to deliver this aim. This reflects in part the government’s competing priorities during the pandemic. But does it also suggest that net zero is not as deeply integrated…

Amidst the noise of the Scottish Parliament’s ongoing inquiry into Alex Salmond and the SNP’s acrimonious Westminster reshuffle, one would be forgiven for having missed the publication of the party’s “Roadmap to a Referendum”. The plan, while not immediately dictating the prospects of success, charts in detail how an SNP Government would force the issue following the…

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 the prime minister set to make a set-piece speech next week on how the UK meets its net-zero commitment, the big question remains how far he will emphasise the importance of hydrogen to the country’s green ambitions. Pressure has been ratcheting up in the context of Europe and China committing substantial funds to hydrogen in their recovery plans, but the UK has not…