UK GOVERNMENT GIVES GROUND ON CONTROVERSIAL FOREIGN INFLUENCE REGISTRATION SCHEME

11th-hour reforms to the proposed foreign influence policy will be met with relief by businesses, NGOs and charities as Government makes significant changes. Some concerns remain, and many businesses will still require compliance policies to be put in place for benefits which many will remain sceptical about, but the scope of these will be limited … Read more

LOOMING UK FOREIGN INFLUENCE REGISTRATION SCHEME – BEWARE OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

Concerns grow that foreign influence policy is misdirected, bureaucratic and risks deterring benign engagement and investment The UK’s proposed Foreign Influence Registration Scheme is part of a wider package of measures to revamp domestic espionage laws, in this instance via new obligations for a wide range of businesses, across all sectors, and others with international … Read more

THE VIEW FROM BRUSSELS: ARE WE HEADED FOR A UK-EU TRADE WAR?

The post below was first published on our Brexit blog. The dispute over the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland to the UK Withdrawal Agreement is proving hard to implement. The European Parliament Research Service has produced a useful summary. The UK government has even suggested reneging on it but pulled back following … Read more

Scottish Independence: The Consequences For Trade

As with the prospects for and then the reality of Brexit, the prospect of an independent Scotland raises the profile of questions on international trade for both politicians and business. In this briefing we take an initial look at some of the key trade issues. Read more

UK sets out mandate for trade negotiations with USA

This post was first published on our Brexit Notes blog. Today, the UK Department for International Trade (DIT) published its proposed approach to the future relationship negotiations with the USA. It is anticipated that the negotiations between the two countries will begin this month. The talks will be led from the UK side by Crawford … Read more

UK Department for International Trade outlines proposed approach to FTAs with priority countries and launches public consultation on new tariff policy

This post was first published on our Brexit Notes blog. Following the UK’s departure as a Member State from the EU on 31 January 2020, the UK is now considering pursuing Free Trade Agreements (“FTAs”) with the EU and the rest of the world. Today, the Department for International Trade (“DIT”) outlined the UK Government’s … Read more