Earlier this year, we wrote about the state of Brexit negotiations in the United Kingdom, and concluded that “with just over a month to go until Brexit takes effect” it was still “bewilderingly unclear” what form Brexit would...more
We have waited some time to post again on Brexit matters in the hope that things would become clearer. Certainly a lot has occurred since our last post: there were local elections in most of England and Northern Ireland on 2...more
On 24 May the Prime Minister conceded that her efforts to secure Parliamentary approval of the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration (WA) signed off in November 2018 have failed. Publication of the Withdrawal...more
The US’s ongoing trade war with China—which just isn’t going away any time soon—has prompted the White House to propose a new “$16 billion bailout for farmers hurt by Beijing’s tariffs.” At the same time, leaders from both...more
Deutsche Bank on Wednesday confirmed the basics of a recent German newspaper report that revealed that the bank “had used faulty software to screen customer transactions for suspicious activity” while claiming that “no...more
On March 29, 2019, Parliament voted down, for a third time, Prime Minister Theresa May’s plan for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union (“EU”). As a result, it remains unclear what the next steps for the Brexit...more
Jobs report Friday again. Which, after February’s dismal numbers, is carrying extra importance today. We’ll be keeping an eye on US manufacturing, among other things. Here’s what to watch....more
Just how bad is the Brexit crisis for Prime Minister May? Well, she’s considering crossing the aisle and, gulp, working with the Labour Party on a departure plan. So really bad. And oh yeah, more time, please....more
Parliament rejected the EU Withdrawal Agreement negotiated by Theresa May's government for a third time on Friday afternoon....more
"No deal" safely averted? On March 28, 2019, at least we can be reasonably confident that the UK does not face a "no deal" Brexit at 11.00pm on March 29th. Reasonably confident, but not absolutely certain. Members of the...more
Monsanto’s (and, in turn, Bayer AG’s) terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day in court over its Roundup products’ links to cancer continued yesterday, as a jury awarded $80 million to the California man who it had already...more
OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, reached a deal this week with the state of Oklahoma in which they will pay “$270 million to avoid going to a state court trial over the company’s role in the...more
Facebook revealed yesterday that “millions of user account passwords had been stored insecurely, potentially allowing employees to gain access to people’s accounts without their knowledge.” The company said it “had found no...more
As world economic leaders (sans the U.S. government) gather in Davos this week, China’s economic cooling (coming just “when the world needs its spark”) is both a hot topic of conversation and a cause for concern....more
Federal prosecutors have opened a criminal probe into Huawei Technologies’ alleged theft of trade secrets from its US business partners, “including technology used by T-Mobile US Inc. to test smartphones.” The investigation...more
With only 72 days remaining until the UK automatically ceases to be a member of the EU, the UK Parliament has emphatically rejected the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration painstakingly negotiated by the UK...more
On November 25, 2018, Prime Minister Theresa May of the United Kingdom (“UK”) and the leaders of the member states of the European Union (“EU”) agreed to a deal that will govern the withdrawal of the UK from the EU...more
London, 2 March 2018 — Theresa May has today set out in more detail than ever before the bold future relationship that the UK Government believes to be in the interests of both the UK and the EU. ...more
On 2 March 2018, Theresa May made her third major speech on Brexit in which she set out in more detail than ever before the ambitious future relationship that the UK Government is seeking to negotiate with the EU. ...more
For retailers, speed and efficiency in supply chains are paramount. With the possibility of a "hard" or "no deal" Brexit, retailers must adapt to a new operating environment. The UK government is exploring the potential for...more
Recent developments show the UK Government’s desire to expand their powers to block foreign takeovers. We explore the nature and scope of the proposed legislation and assess its likely consequences....more
How do you sum up what just happened in the United Kingdom’s parliamentary election? I thought the journalist Hugo Rifkind did it rather well last Saturday on BBC Radio 4’s The News Quiz, a show that takes a satirical and...more
The result of the UK’s general election on 8 June has reignited speculation that the UK government might pursue a softer Brexit. In this update, we provide a reminder of the main “softer” Brexit models which had previously...more
Once again, the UK’s electorate have gone to the polls, and once again the result has confounded the pollsters, with the Conservative party losing 12 seats resulting in a hung parliament....more
You couldn’t really make it up! First there was the surprise result in the Brexit referendum last year. Then it was the unexpected Trump victory in the US Presidential election....more