Insights & news.

anuary is hardly the optimal season for camping in Scotland, but with a General Election looming it was only to be expected that the New Year bells would be accompanied by a flurry of political tent pitching. Rishi Sunak’s beleaguered government is rapidly running out of time to turn things around, but despite Labour’s sustained and substantial lead in the polls, the Tories have not yet thrown in the towel. Although the Prime Minister has indicated a preference for an election in the second half of the year, he could well be bluffing. He’s certainly keeping his options open. Astute observers will have noticed that the date of the Spring Budget 2024 has been brought forward to 6 March, when the Chancellor is widely expected to hand out sweeties for everyone...

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.