Insights

The use of targets as a policy tool hasn’t always been effective, to say the least. 

In what has proved to be one of the most consequential terms in recent decades, the US Supreme Court capped its 2021-2022 term by issuing a decision in West Virginia v. EPA, a case centred around the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) efforts to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the US power sector. The decision once again reflected the now-fully-formed…

Welcome to the first episode of Top in Tech's monthly in-conversation series, where Senior Practice Director Conan D'Arcy will be interviewing the policymakers, thought-leaders and industry experts on the cutting-edge of tech policy and regulation. Stay tuned for our regular expert panel in two weeks' time!

There is an unusual and unfamiliar mood in the Labour Party these days: optimism. Labour has held an unbroken lead over the Conservatives in the polls for the past seven months. Since autumn of last year, Labour leader Keir Starmer has led Boris Johnson on perceptions of who would make the best Prime Minister. Labour has pulled more or less level with the Conservatives on…

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. 

The “trilemma” is putting the solidarity of European energy policy to the test. Member states are scrambling to shore up the security of supply for the winter, energy bills are rising, and the imperative to accelerate decarbonisation remains. 

Amidst the uncertainty of the Conservative leadership race, one of the most hotly-contested debates Boris Johnson’s successor will have to address is that surrounding the future of the BBC’s licence fee. While the BBC has historically opposed moves to abolish the licence fee, Director General Tim Davie recently signalled a change in tack at the broadcaster, suggesting in…

Over the last few years, there has been increasing recognition of the impact of climate change on financial performance and a proliferation of disclosure regulations as a result. Whilst reporting on climate-related financial risks is now being mandated across a range of jurisdictions, expanding the scope of these frameworks to include the risks posed by biodiversity…

Welcome back to ''The geopolitics of'', our new podcast mini-series exploring geopolitics in the modern age.

Last week, the European Parliament approved the texts of the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, the EU’s flagship laws dealing with online content and online competition. Not only were they adopted by broad consensus, but they were adopted in record time – by EU standards, at least. As we come towards the summer break, and the natural breather before the next…

At a conference in Lugano earlier this week, Ukraine’s government presented its post-war recovery roadmap – estimated to cost up to $750bn – to dozens of countries and international organisations. While Ukraine’s western partners remain hesitant about using confiscated Russian state and oligarch assets to largely fund the reconstruction, it is in any case clear that a…

The Czech presidency of the Council of the European Union has been dubbed ‘the Crisis presidency’ as it inherits the responsibility for coordinating the bloc’s response to the war in Ukraine and the resulting refugee crisis. They will simultaneously have to balance cutting down reliance on Russian oil and ensuring gas reserves are suitable for the winter, improving…

On June 9th, Boris Johnson made a landmark speech aiming to reset the UK policy agenda after months of ‘partygate’ headaches. The headline policy included plans to extend the Right-to-Buy reforms first introduced by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, allowing more people to buy their homes at a discount, alongside a slew of other measures to encourage more financial access…

On this episode of Top in Tech, Conan D'Arcy is joined by Max von Thun to discuss Max's recent report on the future of workplace regulation. Is hybrid work here to stay, and what regulation do business leaders expect around topics like automation and AI? Then, Bart Myners takes us through current proposals to regulate streaming services in the UK and EU, as London moves…

From 12-17 June, trade ministers gathered in Geneva for the long-awaited 12th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12) and achieved agreement on a series of reforms after several years of deadlock. These include an intellectual property waiver for covid-19 vaccines, the WTO response to the pandemic, a moratorium on e-commerce duties, and the partial elimination of fisheries…

On June 6th, the US Department of Energy (DOE) published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to release a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for at least four Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) in the September/October timeframe. The NOI outlined DOE priorities for successful applications for the $8bn authorised by the November 2021 landmark Infrastructure Investment and Jobs…

In addition to being a signature item for Schumer, President Biden has also prioritized this bill as one of his best chances to notch a legislative win with his Build Back Better plan stalled. While the Bipartisan Innovation Act enjoys support from both sides of the aisle, the conference committee is grappling with contentious provisions on trade and other issues that…

In a speech in London in late April, the British Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, declared that “faced with appalling barbarism and war crimes, which we’d hoped had been consigned to history, the free world has united behind Ukraine in its brave fight for freedom and self-determination”. Revealed positions do not support the rhetoric. In the UN General Assembly Vote which…