Insights

Today on the podcast, Conan D'Arcy talks to Elizabeth Denham, the former UK Information Commissioner at the ICO and current International Adviser at Baker McKenzie. They talk through the past and future of UK data privacy, Elizabeth's time at the ICO, and how the UK policy stance compares to the US and EU.

Following several leader-level summits in Asia, including ASEAN in Cambodia; G20 in Bali, and APEC in Thailand, Asian countries continue to take an increasingly active role in dealing with global challenges and brokering a pathway between US-China competition. What does the future of Summit diplomacy look like from Asia and what did we learn after the first set of in…

This week’s EU energy council comes at an inflection point in the energy crisis. It will be a moment to take stock of progress on short-term challenges:  the new gas storage regulation means underground gas storage is above 95%; demand-side measures for gas and electricity have reduced gas consumption by 15% since August; and LNG supplies hit a new record of 109 bcm…

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…

In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25%, according to research by the World Health Organization. Is there a role for digital technologies in treating and supporting patients with mental health conditions?

The bankruptcy of major cryptocurrency exchange FTX marks a major moment in the ongoing drive to regulate digital assets within the United States, likely dwarfing the impact seen by the collapse of the Terra-Luna ecosystem earlier this year. The concurrent timing of the 2022 midterms blunted the initial reactions from Congress, but with contagion risks still possible and…

This week on Top in Tech, Conan D'Arcy is joined by Senior Associate Ugonma Nwankwo to check in on the policy implications of the US midterms and Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter. Then, we survey Southeast Asia's growing tech sector with Senior Associate Nicholas Lee.

Joe Biden's Democratic Party overperformed expectations in the United States midterm elections, surprising Washington and European observers and plunging Donald Trump and the Republican Party into newfound turmoil. While Democrats are expected to narrowly lose the House, it was the most robust midterm performance for a Democratic incumbent in forty years. The weakened…

The court system in England and Wales is characterised by lengthy delays and a substantial backlog of cases. These problems are significant barriers to access to justice and have been exacerbated, although not caused, by the effective shut down of the courts during the covid-19 pandemic.

The role of disinformation in elections was brought to light for the first time during the 2016 US presidential race. Six years later, Mandiant researchers have again raised concerns about foreign election interference in reporting on Chinese disinformation campaigns aimed at discouraging people from voting. Given that foreign information operations frequently target…

In the latest in our geopolitics series, practice director Jon Garvie is joined by Paola Subacchi, Professor of International Economics and Chair Advisory Board at the Global Policy Institute at Queen Mary, University of London. Paola co-chaired the T7 think-tank task force on economic recovery, which fed academic and think-tank perspectives into the G7 and G20…

Whilst attention in the UK has been directed towards several months of political turmoil, a key issue in the months to come is overcoming the NHS workforce and backlog crisis. These issues may lead to the use of creative solutions across the UK, including frequently used but seldom understood ‘insourcing’ models.  

Welcome back to the Global Month Ahead, Global Counsel's briefing on the events and stories that will define the month to come.

Last week, we hosted an event in central London presenting the initial findings of our new report on public attitudes to the metaverse and its regulation.  Today, we're presenting a recording from the event: Ofcom CEO Melanie Dawes joined GC Chairman Peter Mandelson for a discussion on the role of regulators in online safety and emerging technologies like the…

With high inflation, rising interest rates and a choppy stock market through much of 2022, US companies and their investor owners can be forgiven for focusing on downside risks of late. But the high degree of economic uncertainty is obscuring what is likely to be an improved, though still noisy public-policy environment for American businesses in 2023 and 2024. 

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.

During her time as Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss strongly condemned China’s targeting of Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang. She stated that evidence showed forced labour, severe restrictions on freedom of religion, the separation of parents from their children, forced birth control, and mass incarceration. She reiterated the UK’s commitment to hold…