The Autumn Statement is an opportunity for the Government to implement fiscal policy changes to reflect their objectives, and respond to economic conditions. This year, inflation-driven wage growth has caused fiscal drag by pushing millions of workers into higher tax brackets, which left the Treasury with £25 billion of extra revenue. As such, cuts to tax rates appealing to the traditional Conservative base were always on the cards for this year’s autumn statement.

With Parliament open, the announcements made in the King’s Speech will begin to make their way through the legislative process. The bills headed to Parliament will have direct impacts on businesses across all areas of the economy. The King’s Speech demonstrated the opportunities legislation can provide, with regulatory frameworks to support new industries, investment in renewable energy, and licences for oil and gas. However, as the tobacco industry will attest, there are also risks that new legislation could restrict businesses. 

British politics has arguably been at its most volatile point since the Second Word War. From unprecedented churn in our Prime Ministers, to economic shocks leading to multi-decade record highs in inflation and the cost of living, political developments in the UK have shaped businesses and individuals in a profound way. This report makes an important contribution in analysing some of the events that are shaping Britain’s political direction.

Closing out this year’s Labour Party Conference, Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer set out his idea of what a Labour government would look like. Whereas his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, was most enthused by businesses when talking about nationalisation, Starmer set a rather different tone. 

It is with great pleasure that we introduce this first issue of Polis Analysis Youth Affairs Report which shines a light on one of the most dynamic social justice movements, LGBTQIA+ rights. This report delves into the progress, challenges, and legal developments with a special focus on Uganda, Taiwan, India, and the United States.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Wednesday a backtracking on a number of the UK’s current net zero policies. Although reiterating that he remains committed to the legally binding target of net zero by 2050, he has scrapped and delayed a number of initiatives that were intended to help the UK reach the target.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer revamped his frontbench on Monday, in a reshuffle ahead of an annual party conference in October, fine-tuning his team for what is likely to be the final time ahead of the next general election. The reshuffle has seen promotions for the likes of Hilary Benn and Liz Kendall, with notable demotions for Lisa Nandy and Jonathan Ashworth.

Ffos-y-Fran, the UK’s largest opencast coal mine located in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, has received confirmation of its closure date after 15 years of operation.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced his plans to grant over 100 licences across the coast of Scotland to undertake oil and gas drilling, and simultaneously unveiled two new locations for Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS) clusters in North East Scotland and the Humber.

On August 14, the US saw a landmark ruling for climate change law. Led by young activists, the case saw the state of Montana sued for its promotion of fossil fuel use, marking the first time in US history that a youth-led climate case has gone to trial, as 14 previous youth-led cases were dismissed (as per the UN Environmental Programme Report).

Biologging, the practice of attaching devices to animals to collect scientific data, has been developing at an accelerated speed over the last 5 years. Now, scientists can use GPS-tracking devices to track an animal’s movement, migration patterns, food habits and much more. 

In a country where nearly half of the population cannot read or write, WhatsApp's voice notes function has evolved into an essential tool for Senegalese farmers to collaborate and access information in local languages, thereby enhancing their agricultural practices and crop yields.

From Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), Silvergate, Signature Bank in the US to Credit Suisse in Switzerland, the banking crisis in recent weeks has led to the collapse and acquisition of multiple banks. This has implications far beyond traditional finance.

Brazil's new government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is planning new policies on regulating the internet. With over 200 million people, Brazil is the largest country in Latin America by both population and size.

If Europe wants to build a value chain for batteries, lithium refineries are an important part. So far, almost all industrialised nations are dependent on China for the processing of the raw material. That, though, is increasingly changing. Let us take a closer look.

On the first delegation trip of the Ministry of Construction to Finland, Germany’s Federal Minister, Klara Geywitz (Social Democrats), explored solutions to one of the most pressing social policy issues in Germany and across the globe: homelessness and the affordability of housing. In Finland, it has long been agreed that housing is a fundamental right. Let us take a closer look at Finnish housing and anti-homelessness policies, and what they could mean for other countries.

This week’s U.K. Politics Intelligence Briefing includes analysis on what to expect in the Spring Budget.

Cyprus’ former Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Christodoulides has been elected the new president of the European Union member state. He won almost 52% of the vote in the runoff election against the Left candidate Andreas Mavroyiannis, who previously served as the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cyprus to the United Nations. 

With a General Election less than 2 years away, today’s Intelligence Briefing sets out the most likely scenarios

As 2022 has drawn to a close, it is worth reflecting on the sheer political instability the UK has been through this year.