Archive
Public Affairs
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Budget 2021: Sunak buoyed by Budget forecasts
October 27, 2021
Sunak buoyed by an improving economic outlook Rishi Sunak delivered his Budget 2021 statement to a packed House of Commons claiming his stewardship of UK finances had delivered a stronger than anticipated economic recovery. This, he argued, allowed the Government to invest billions in public services and avoid significant tax rises. A confident and assured Chancellor framed his Budget 2021 statement as an opportunity to draw a line under 18 months of extraordinary Treasury intervention...
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Green Trade Deals: The UK Must Use Free Trade Agreements to Fight Climate Change
October 26, 2021
With just over a week until the start of the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow, the UK government will have been disappointed to see headlines touting the leaked civil service document stating that the signing of new free trade agreements (FTAs) should not be contingent on environmental measures being observed. Although this should come as no great surprise to those who have paid attention to the negotiating patterns of “Global Britain”, it is nonetheless...
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Four ways to fine-tune COP26 communications to maximise impact
October 18, 2021
With COP26 in Glasgow just two weeks away, companies and organisations are finalising plans for COP26 communications and public affairs activity. It is important that they prepare for the shift that will occur in the days before and during the summit, as journalists, political stakeholders and other influential figures redirect their focus from corporate engagement to a singular emphasis on climate negotiations. The UK Government has introduced a high degree of commercialisation to COP26, and companies have recognised...
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FleishmanHillard UK expands international trade and foreign direct investment capabilities with new appointment
October 12, 2021
FleishmanHillard UK has boosted its international trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) offer with the appointment of Tim Harding, who joins from the UK Department for International Trade (DIT). At the DIT, Tim was a specialist in foreign trade, investment and economic development into the UK, with a focus on Asian markets, and brings more than a decade of government experience advising on trade policy, inward investment and international business opportunities for the UK and...
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Beijing’s CPTPP mischief is another headache for Washington in the Indo-Pacific power struggle
October 12, 2021
Over recent weeks headlines have been full of the announcement of the AUKUS defence partnership. In an unsurprisingly rapid response China, the unspoken target of the new submarine capabilities in Oceania, announced their application for accession to CPTPP. Although they had previously made no secret of the ambition to apply to this multilateral agreement, with full awareness of the irony that it had been originally created to contain their regional economic dominance, it was nonetheless...
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Previewing the Conservative Party Conference 2021
October 3, 2021
By Tomos Davies, director As Conservatives gather this week for their annual Conservative Party Conference 2021, the first in-person meeting since Boris Johnson’s triumphant 2019 general election victory, they do so against a turbulent and uncertain political backdrop. As Britain’s forecourts run dry, the cost of living spirals, and with warnings of a winter of discontent on the horizon, Conservatives congregating in Manchester will hope for a dash of that fabled Johnsonian tonic to banish...
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Labour Conference 2021 Round-up: Five things we learned
September 30, 2021
Labour Conference 2021: Starmer slays the Corbyn dragon, but will he now resonate with the public? Four days of Labour Conference is quite enough Conference for most. However, I hugely enjoyed being back amongst party members, MPs, peers and the wider business community for the first in-person Labour Conference since 2019. It’s safe to say that Brighton 2021 was a mixed bag for the party, but there are clear signs that Labour is now once...
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Inside Labour Business Day 2021: Finding a new normal
September 27, 2021
The party conferences are back and with them the challenge of speaking to multiple audiences – to the party faithful, to the general public and to competing interest groups. But where does business feature in this mix? At Labour Business Day 2021, the party is signalling that it cannot achieve the better future it seeks for the workforce, the planet and for local communities without working better with business. But how will it cultivate this...
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Head of public affairs Tim Snowball elected to PRCA Public Affairs Board Executive Committee
July 30, 2021
Partner and head of public affairs, Tim Snowball has been elected to the PRCA Public Affairs Board Executive Committee for 2021/22. Tim joins sixteen other elected committee representatives from across the UK, the PRCA NextGen Public Affairs Group, and PRCA Public Affairs Board members to help the PRCA continue its work in promoting ethical standards in the industry and a wider understanding of public affairs including its contribution to society. Contact us...
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The Future of the Multilateral System: Learnings from the Global Solutions Summit
May 28, 2021
With the global community continuing to grapple with impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no doubt that questions are being asked about whether the multilateral system can not only steer us through the pandemic, but also address other key policy challenges such as climate change, social inequality and trade disruption. It is these very challenges that have stimulated debate over the last two days at the Global Solutions Summit. As the official communications partner...