Who runs the boards? Written by Javier Maquieira, senior associate Edited by David Gaffney, partner17 January 2022 Good morning, In the last decade, the conversation around boardroom diversity has become increasingly earnest as more companies have begun to realise the benefits attached to it. For businesses big and small, improving gender diversity at all levels has been linked …
And then what? Written by Javier Maquieira, senior associate Edited by David Gaffney, partner12 January 2022 Good morning, Concerns over the Omicron variant have been giving way to an issue that threatens to rock British politics to its core. Some economists have forecast a perfect storm brought by rocketing bills and tax rises in what’s already been dubbed a …
Return of the Cameo King Written by Scott Reid, associate partnerEdited by Kevin Pringle, partner 11 January 2022 Good morning, Farage is back. Again. Or perhaps, following his call in last week’s Telegraph that a revolt on the right is brewing and he’s ready to be part of it, it’s more accurate to say that the …
De-Frosting UK-EU relations? Written by Javier Maquieira, senior associate Edited by Tom Gillingham, associate partner20 December 2021 Good morning, Boris Johnson’s ‘plan B’ Covid restrictions, tax rises, and the UK government’s net zero agenda. Those were the three reasons Lord Frost cited for his resignation as Brexit minister “with immediate effect” on Saturday evening. Frost’s shock …
A half-hearted chameleon? Written by Javier Maquieira, senior associate Edited by Tom Gillingham, associate partner15 December 2021 Good morning, Emmanuel Macron wants the European Union to be defined by one thing and one thing only: power. The French president said so himself last Thursday, when he presented the major European priorities that France will carry during its …
Cool heads over Ukraine Written by Javier Maquieira, senior associate Edited by David Gaffney, partner8 December 2021 Good morning, Three weeks ago I wrote about tensions at the border between the European Union and Belarus and the part it all seemed to play in Vladimir Putin’s destabilising efforts. The dispute between Minsk and Brussels unfolded as satellite images showed …
Department stores, repurposed Written by Javier Maquieira, senior associate Edited by Adam Shaw, associate partner1 December 2021 Good morning, One of the things that struck me when I moved to Scotland was the number of repurposed buildings you can find at every turn. This was especially true of churches, some of which have been turned into casinos, …
Scholz in Wunderland Written by Javier Maquieira, senior associate Edited by Adam Shaw, associate partner26 November 2021 Good morning, On Wednesday we got a glimpse of how life in Germany – and Europe – after 16 years of Angela Merkel’s leadership could look over the next four years. After weeks of negotiations, the German Social Democrat chancellor-in-waiting, …
Brinkmanship at the borders Written by Javier Maquieira, senior associate Edited by David Gaffney, partner15 November 2021 Good morning, There’s something authoritarian leaders in countries bordering the European Union seem to have grasped: encouraging refugees and migrants to cross its borders has a particularly destabilising effect on the bloc. Like Turkey and Morocco before it, Belarus has been …
Humankind’s choice Written by Javier Maquieira, senior associate Edited by David Gaffney, partner4 November 2021 Good morning, It would be too embarrassing to disclose the number of times I’ve found myself pondering the end of Sophie’s Choice. I won’t give anything away, but the Alan J Pakula film starring Meryl Streep poses a genuine moral dilemma. Although we may …