Insights & news.

Over the autumn conference season, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has begun to flesh out dividing lines with Sir Keir Starmer, particularly around net zero. By delaying specific targets – as well as scrapping the totemic HS2 in favour of local infrastructure investment – Sunak is gambling that he can win over voters who feel increasingly remote from Westminster politics. But by positioning himself as the change candidate, Sunak also risks reminding voters of Conservative Party failings less than a year away from a General Election....

Scottish Labour were expected to win in Rutherglen and Hamilton West, but trouncing the SNP by a 9,446 margin, winning almost 60% of the votes cast, exceeded even their wildest expectations. While Labour strategist will be dreaming of these sort of numbers playing out in a General Election next year, how confident can they be when extrapolating the figures? And after a difficult loss following a bruising few months for the SNP is it possible to stem the tide running against them? True North’s Senior Advisor Andrew Liddle unpicks the results below.

Over 50 senior businesswomen from across the North East attended a unique breakfast event in Aberdeen to discuss how employers can better prepare for the menopause. Organised by Aileen Easton, Chief Corporate Affairs Advisor at True North Advisors, Shona Macaskill of Gary Walker Wealth Management and Ali Findlay, Chief Executive of The Lane, Flushed with Success is the first event of its kind in the North East...

Yesterday afternoon the Prime Minister announced a rethink of his government’s green commitments, while simultaneously seeking to reassure both a domestic and international audience on the UK’s net zero targets. As a strategy it’s certainly a gamble and the mixed reaction in today’s press tells its own story. That said, there’s an air of the reasonable to these changes that the UK government are keen to stress and undoubtedly, one year out from a General Election, politics lie at the heart of these policy moves.

I was privileged to be joined by the First Minister and a range of senior industry executives as True North hosted a working dinner to discuss the future of energy in Scotland. A fascinating conversation focussed on how we can harness and support the existing critical mass of skills and expertise, owing to a world-class oil and gas industry, and accelerate the commercialisation of new and green energies...

We are delighted to share another major milestone for True North. Our new-look website highlights the unparalleled service True North Advisors offers across strategic communications, public affairs, policy insight and research, speechwriting, media training and much more besides. It also features biographies and specialisms of our expanded team of expert advisors...

True North enjoyed a great night with clients and friends at the annual Holyrood Garden Party and Political Awards on Thursday 7th September. We were proud to sponsor the ‘One to Watch’ award, which our Managing Partner Fergus Mutch presented to Màiri McAllan MSP, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Just Transition...

While Humza Yousaf tried to use yesterday’s Programme for Government to reset his leadership, Scotland’s opposition parties tried to use it to stake out new lines of attack on his administration. First among their areas of focus is economic growth, which both the Scottish Conservatives and Scottish Labour believe is a significant blackspot on the […]

A key theme that emerged from Humza Yousaf’s Programme for Government announced yesterday afternoon is that a strong society and a strong economy are mutually reinforcing – “economic growth goes hand-in-hand with tackling poverty.” This is the political ground that Keir Starmer’s Labour Party are seeking to inhabit ahead of next year’s UK General Election […]