In the latest episode of our policy in practice podcasts, David Gauke and Paul Hardwick discuss implications of the recent General Election for private clients, with a focus on proposed tax policies of the new Government.

They cover: 

• the new Government's proposed tax plans, including in particular the planned changes to non-dom taxation;
• timing considerations; and
• possible reactions by clients to the changes. 

If you would like more information or want to discuss any of the topics in this podcast, please get in touch with David and Paul.

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In this episode of our pre-election policy in practice podcasts, David Gauke and Rachel Richardson discuss ESG policies outlined in the Labour and Conservative manifestos.

They cover:

• the proposed climate policies;
• green finance initiatives;
• Labour's proposed solutions to make the UK more attractive for private capital, including a National Wealth Fund and the Energy Independence Act; and 
• Labour's broader environmental strategy involving an emphasis on sustainable farming practices and national biodiversity improvements.

If you would like more information or want to discuss any of the topics in this podcast, please get in touch with David and Rachel.

Interested in more podcasts? Why not check out our dedicated podcast page. Listen and subscribe to The Macfarlanes Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast and Amazon Music.

In the latest episode of our pre-election policy in practice podcasts, David Gauke and Bezhan Salehy discuss tax policy with a focus on business taxes.

They cover:

• Labour's plans to raise revenue through targeted revenue measures;
• business tax strategy; and
• a focus on economic stability.

If you would like more information or want to discuss any of the topics in this podcast, please get in touch with David and Bezhan.

Interested in more podcasts? Why not check out our dedicated podcast page. Listen and subscribe to The Macfarlanes Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast and Amazon Music.

 In the second episode of our pre-election policy in practice podcasts, David Gauke, Matthew Ramsey and Kirti Tiwari-Mehta discuss potential changes to employment law amidst the current general election campaign.

They cover: 

• potential employment law reform including the Labour Party's New Deal for Working People;
• Unfair dismissal protections and worker classifications;
• Ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting: and 
• the right to switch off proposal.

If you would like more information or want to discuss any of the topics in this podcast, please get in touch with David, Matthew and Kirti.

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 In the first of our pre-election policy in practice podcasts, David Gauke, Dan Marriott and Rachael Ashton discuss property policy in light of the party manifestos ahead of the General Election. 

They cover: 

• the current legislative picture and the importance of leasehold reform and tenant empowerment; 
• the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act and the Renters Reform Bill; and
• the proposed approaches to housing and planning, including ground rent proposals.

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With the announcement of the General Election, in this episode of policy in practice, David Gauke, Alexandra Green and Laura Bridgewater discuss the FCA's proposals to disclose the identity of companies under investigation at an earlier stage.

They cover:

• the FCA's proposals to publicly announce the opening of enforcement investigations and disclose the identities of the companies;
• the finance sector's reaction to this proposal; and 
• political considerations and the future developments considering the upcoming General Election.

If you would like more information or want to discuss any of the topics in this podcast, please get in touch with David, Alexandra and Laura.

Interested in more podcasts? Why not check out our dedicated podcast page. Listen and subscribe to The Macfarlanes Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast and Amazon Music.

In this episode of policy in practice, David Gauke, Christopher Charlton and Chloe Edworthy discuss the state of English law and its international standing.

Together they discuss:

• the impact of Brexit on legal jurisdiction;
• the status of judicial recruitment; and 
• the role of technology within the legal system.

If you would like more information or want to discuss any of the topics in this podcast, please get in touch with David, Christopher or Chloe.

Interested in more podcasts? Why not check out our dedicated podcast page. Listen and subscribe to The Macfarlanes Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast and Amazon Music.

In this episode of policy in practice, David Gauke, Rachel Richardson and Gavin Haran consider the current state of ESG policies and sustainable finance.

Together they discuss:

• the UK's progress in green finance since the 2021 COP26 summit;
• recent ESG developments including the government's nature markets framework and the Transition Finance Market Review;
• Europe's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS); and
• what the future holds for ESG policy. 

Interested in more podcasts? Why not check out our dedicated podcast page. Listen and subscribe to The Macfarlanes Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast and Amazon Music.

In this episode of policy in practice, David Gauke, Christopher Good and Margarida Ferreira consider what the pension fund reform means for the private capital industry.

Together they discuss:

• private funds and what might happen in future, possibly after a change in government;
• France’s Tibi programme;
• the idea of a potential national wealth fund; and
• the practical impacts on funds and fundraising.

For more information on this topic, read their in-depth article on "Pension fund reform".

Interested in more podcasts? Why not check out our dedicated podcast page. Listen and subscribe to The Macfarlanes Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast and Amazon Music.

Interested in more podcasts? Why not check out our dedicated podcast page. Listen and subscribe to The Macfarlanes Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast and Amazon Music.

In our first policy in practice Autumn Statement 2023 podcast episode, David Gauke and Rhiannon Kinghall Were discuss the tax headlines and implications for our clients.

Together they review:

1. the state of the public finances and what that means for policy decisions going forward;
2. full expensing being made permanent;
3. updates to the Pillar 2 rules to introduce a minimum tax;
4. NICs cuts; and
5. some light-hearted speculation on when we might see a general election!

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In our second policy in practice - Autumn Statement 2023 podcast episode, David Gauke and Faye Jarvis discuss the pensions headlines and the implications for our clients.

They review the three key themes set out by the Chancellor, being:

1. Better outcomes for savers and the idea of a “pot for life”;
2. Driving consolidation; and
3. Enabling pension schemes to invest in a diverse portfolio.

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In our final policy in practice Autumn Statement 2023 podcast episode, David Gauke, Michael Sholem and Gavin Haran discuss the financial services highlights and the effect on the industry and for our clients. 

Together they discuss:

1. regulatory levers that the Government hopes will grow the economy;
2. Financial Services and Markets Act and the process for reforming onshored EU legislation;
3. recent Government reshuffle, and the appointment of the new City Minister;
4. Long Term Asset Fund and the ISA; and
5. likely impacts of change on the financial services industry.

Interested in more podcasts? Why not check out our dedicated podcast page. Listen and subscribe to The Macfarlanes Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast and Amazon Music.

In our latest policy in practice podcast episode, David Gauke, Rachel Richardson and Gavin Haran discuss all things sustainable finance. They review the current landscape and significant policy developments from the last few months - including the impact of the ISSB, UK & EU taxonomy and disclosure requirements, greenwashing concerns, and the future of “ESG”. 

Interested in more podcasts? Why not check out our dedicated podcast page. Listen and subscribe to The Macfarlanes Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast and Amazon Music.

In this episode of policy in practice, David Gauke is joined by Sapheen Meran, legal technology and innovation manager, and Gavin Haran, head of policy for asset management to look at the UK plans for introducing a central bank digital currency (CBDC). 

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David Gauke, Rachel Richardson and Gavin Haran discuss the UK’s 2023 Green Finance Strategy, some of the pros and cons and what to expect in the future.

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In our latest policy in practice podcast, we look at the very topical issue of AI and financial services regulation.

David Gauke, our head of public policy, is joined by some our AI specialists: Mark Lewis, Klaudija Brami and Sapheen Meran. Amongst other issues the podcast touches on the UK Government’s white paper detailing how the UK will regulate AI on which we have also recently published a short blog post.

Interested in more podcasts? Why not check out our dedicated podcast page. Listen and subscribe to The Macfarlanes Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast and Amazon Music.

Our latest Policy in Practice podcast focuses on the much debated policy of rent control. David Gauke, Nicole Mitchell and Lizzie Fielding discuss the current state of health of the living subsectors, the Scottish government’s rent control policy (Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022), the experience of rental controls in other markets and where future policy may be heading in the UK.

Interested in more podcasts? Why not check out our dedicated podcast page. Listen and subscribe to The Macfarlanes Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast and Amazon Music.

In this episode of policy in practice, David Gauke is joined by Stephen Kon and Jonathan Pratt to discuss the proposed Retained EU Law Bill. 

The UK Government is taking renewed steps to “shake off” the continued legacy of EU law through the new Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill. If enacted, the Bill will revoke EU-derived legislation by the end of 2023 using so-called “sunset provisions” and provide the government with wide powers to amend EU-derived laws subject only to limited parliamentary scrutiny. 

Interested in more podcasts? Why not check out our dedicated podcast page. Listen and subscribe to The Macfarlanes Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast and Amazon Music.

The UN Biodiversity Conference, COP15 is now underway with hopes for clear targets on nature protection. In this episode of our policy in practice series, our policy experts provide a roundup of the key takeaways from the COP27 climate conference and expectations for COP15. David Gauke is joined by Rachel Richardson, Gavin Haran, Nicole Mitchell and Praveen Gopalan to discuss the headlines and implications from the recent COP27 conference, the COP15 biodiversity conference and the response from asset managers and policy makers.

Interested in more podcasts? Why not check out our dedicated podcast page. Listen and subscribe to The Macfarlanes Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast and Amazon Music.

In this episode of policy in practice, David Gauke, Gavin Haran and Michael Sholem discuss the future of financial services regulation following Brexit. They explore what can be done to make use of the flexibilities that Brexit allows, what EU rules the UK Government and its regulators could diverge from, and how that might happen.

For more information on this subject, read our report on Big Bang 2.0.

Interested in more podcasts? Why not check out our dedicated podcast page. Listen and subscribe to The Macfarlanes Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast and Amazon Music.

In this episode of policy in practice, David Gauke is joined by Rhiannon Kinghall Were, head of tax policy, and Bezhan Salehy, tax policy specialist, to unpick the state of play after the fiscal statement on 23 September 2022, the subsequent U-turns and ensuing political crisis.

Following the upheaval of the mini-budget, the team explores where we are now, what elements of tax policy have been reversed or remain the same, and also what these changes might mean for tax policy going forward. 

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In this episode of policy in practice, David Gauke is joined by Neill Blundell, Helen Harvey and Francis Bond from our financial sanctions team to discuss the latest developments in the global financial sanctions landscape.

Amidst a fast-moving situation, the team unpicks the most recent updates in sectoral and individual sanctions and enforcement, discuss common misperceptions, and also look ahead at concerns with China and the potential future imposition of new sanctions.

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Guest speaker Zach Stein, co-founder and CEO of Carbon Collective, a US investment advisor, joined David Gauke, Rachel Richardson and Gavin Haran to explore what the right approach is when it comes to investment management and decarbonisation.

In this episode of policy in practice, the team delves into a range of questions, weighing up the social versus environmental elements of ESG, and what investors and governments need to do to stop the climate crisis.

For more information on carbon taxes and carbon boarder adjustment mechanisms, as touched upon in this podcast, listen to Policy in practice: Carbon taxes and carbon trading.

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The concept of the Better Business Act proposes to change UK law, ensuring company directors operate in a manner which benefits the members, wider society and the environment. 

In this episode of policy in practice, David Gauke is joined by Rachel Richardson and Dominic Sedghi to discuss what the proposals mean, how they might work and whether they are a useful development. 

Interested in more podcasts? Why not check out our dedicated podcast page. Listen and subscribe to The Macfarlanes Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast and Amazon Music.