Insights

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Despite the fanfare, politicians and regulators may yet have something to say about Nvidia’s takeover of Arm

TMT

Max von Thun
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The planned takeover of semiconductor design firm Arm has been the talk of the town in recent days. The proposed deal between Arm’s owner Softbank and US company Nvidia puts a $40 bn price tag on the leading UK-based tech company and would be the largest ever M&A transaction in the history of the semiconductor industry. But despite the fanfare, the transaction looks…

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Biden proposal would shake up US consumer credit-reporting industry

Financial Services

Erin Caddell
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Politicians are often rightfully accused of speaking in generalities, or of not being consistent in the plans they put forth. But in at least one narrow aspect of financial services policy, US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is neither. On three separate occasions in recent months, Biden’s campaign has pledged to establish a government-financed and -operated…

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Xi Jinping, the party and China beyond 2022

General Policy

Jens Presthus
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The pandemic and its economic fallout may have put Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of China (CPC) under enormous pressure, but it has also allowed Xi to tighten his grip on power and widen the party’s role in the Chinese economy. He has done this by launching two campaigns: one that focuses on rooting out corruption in law enforcement, and one that seeks to strengthen…

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Food standards: taking back control

Trade & Manufacturing

Charley Roberts
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Controversies over ‘chlorinated chicken’ and ‘hormone-injected beef’ in the US/UK trade deal talks are at the centre of a heated debate on UK food standards. The debate is putting the spotlight on a fundamental issue facing the UK after Brexit: the country is taking back control of its regulatory framework - but to do what? And while the…

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Not dead, just hibernating: Bond-rating reform could be revived after November

General Policy

Erin Caddell
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The once-vigorous debate around the bond-ratings agencies has faded along with memories of the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-08. In the crisis’ aftermath, many critics focused on the role the giant credit rating agencies (CRAs) Standard & Poor’s (a unit of S&P Global, ticker SPGI) and Moody’s (ticker MCO) played in failing to anticipate the rapid deterioration…

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General Politics

New cabinet secretary Simon Case has a lot to prove and even more to do

General Politics

Joe Armitage
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Simon Case, who was appointed permanent secretary of 10 Downing Street this May, has been confirmed as the next cabinet secretary. At 41, he is the youngest person in the position since Lord Hankey, for whom the role was created in 1916, during the middle of the Great War. Like Hankey, Case will sit next to the prime minister at meetings of the Cabinet and assume ultimate…

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General Politics

Office politics: three perspectives on remote working

General Politics

Gregor Irwin
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Many businesses are feeling their way towards a new balance between remote and office-based working. That partly involves responding to the preferences of customers and staff. It also involves responding to what competitors are doing. The forces of innovation and competition will likely mean the perimeter of the virtual office expands outwards over time. This will have…

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Will the UK be at the “back of the queue” under Biden?

Trade & Manufacturing

Miranda Lutz
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Although round four of US-UK trade negotiations are slated for September, negotiators have yet to indicate any major signs of progress. Despite earlier signalling that a trade agreement could be concluded by the end of the year, politicians from both sides have publicly recognised that this is not a feasible timeframe. So, what does this mean for UK negotiators who could…

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Phil Hogan’s resignation: implications for EU trade policy

Trade & Manufacturing

Daniel Capparelli
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Phil Hogan’s stepping-down yesterday from his role at the helm of EU trade policy is sending shock waves through political and policy communities in Europe and globally. Many will argue, in hindsight, this was inevitable in light of his lack of contrition for breaches to Irish covid lockdown guidelines and quarantine rules in the so-called GolfGate. The affair highlights,…

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Bye, .BY: how Belarus could lose its lucrative IT industry

TMT

Alexander Smotrov
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The nationwide protests and industrial strikes that followed the controversial presidential elections in Belarus continue. The outcome of this unprecedented expression of public dissatisfaction with President Alexander Lukashenko and his grip on the country is, however, not yet clear. Lukashenko may still cling on to power – at least for the time-being - relying on his…

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General Politics

The more things change… can Côte d’Ivoire weather its point of maximum instability?

General Politics

Isabelle Trick
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Togo’s president has done it this year. Burundi’s resisted the temptation. Guinea’s just decided to do it, while Côte d’Ivoire’s president said he wouldn’t, but recently changed his mind - the issue at hand is “third termism” or a president’s attempt to stay in power beyond the originally envisioned number of terms. These constitutional coups tend to lead to significant…

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US policy update: The Biden/Harris ticket and what it means for the US election

General Policy

Joe Palombo
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This US election cycle, GC team members in the Washington, DC and London offices are holding a series of conversations on the elections and wider US policy issues, and how each might impact investors and companies on both sides of the Atlantic. Below is a brief extract from the tenth conversation in the series, which unpacked yesterday’s long-awaited announcement that US…

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ESG in private equity: will integration tools be matched by pressure to use them?

General Policy

Felix Cazalet
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Covid-19 is likely to accelerate pressures for the meaningful integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into the private equity (PE) industry. The twin dynamics of a greater public focus on investors’ ESG credentials and an increased scrutiny of the PE industry writ large could combine to encourage greater use of existing integration tools. With…

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The EU’s new long term budget: a “Hamiltonian moment” for the European Union?

General Policy

Ana Martínez
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After the difficult negotiations of the longest ever EU summit, EU leaders agreed last week on a €750 billion recovery fund and at least one new EU tax. Some called it a “Hamiltonian moment” for the European Union. Practice Lead Denzil Davidson and Senior Associate Ana Martínez examine what was agreed, the politics that got us here, the disputes that still haven’t been…

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Brexit and the politics of food: Understanding the relationship between food standards and FTAs

Sustainability

Brexit and the politics of food: Understanding the relationship between food standards and FTAs
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On July 28th, Global Counsel hosted a technical discussion between food policy experts looking at what is at stake for UK food and agriculture after the landmark Agriculture Bill as the UK pursues and negotiates trade agreements in the lead-up to exiting the European Union. We were joined by Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy at City University of London and Emily Lydgate…

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General Politics

Pass the remote control

General Politics

Tom King
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Governments’ support measures for businesses hit by covid-19 have focused on maintaining liquidity through provision of emergency credit. In the UK, government-backed loan schemes have been the main protection over the past few months – but it should be equity, not debt, that revitalises the economy and pump-primes the recovery.

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US policy update: Biden’s economic nationalism and the Democratic party’s “unity” agenda

General Policy

Joe Palombo
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This US election cycle, GC team members in the Washington, DC and London offices are holding a series of conversations on the elections and wider US policy issues, and how each might impact investors and companies on both sides of the Atlantic. Below is a brief extract from the ninth conversation in the series, which unpacked two key policy developments - Joe Biden’s…

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Treaty scrutiny: working practices

Trade & Manufacturing

Stephen Adams
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The House of Lords European Union Committee published its report Treaty scrutiny: working practices. This was prepared by its International Agreements Sub-Committee. Global Counsel Senior Director Stephen Adams gave evidence to the Committee on treaty negotiation and trade agreements. You can read the report and review its linked evidence here. 

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