Opinion

Jack Boyle, director and specialist in employment law at Blackadders, details the latest changes to the UK Government's Job Retention Scheme. Following on from Rishi Sunak’s latest announcement about changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (“CJRS”), HMRC has updated its gui

The UK is a world-leading FinTech centre, with London often being labelled the global FinTech capital. From a Scottish perspective, over the past couple of years both Edinburgh and Glasgow have been establishing themselves as FinTech powerhouses. Allie McGowan looks below at some of the ways that CO

Andrew Hill, lease advisory partner at Knight Frank's Edinburgh office, details the importance of collaboration between landlords and tenants during the coronavirus crisis. Times of extreme economic pressure tend to place a strain on business relationships. In the COVID-19 crisis we currently face,

Shona Fraser, partner and agricultural business specialist at accountants Chiene + Tait, discusses the importance of the UK Agriculture Bill. The UK Agriculture Bill had its second reading in the House of Lords last week with growing concerns raised about the lack of amendments to protect UK farmers

The Sunday Times recently reported that, when confronted with the likelihood of 3.5million job losses if the country doesn’t reopen over the summer, Boris Johnstone apparently responded “Christ”! The UK’s COVID narrative is pivoting to the economic toll, and emergency measur

Matthew Currie, dispute resolution associate at Scottish law firm Jones Whyte, breaks down and reviews the moratoriums under the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill 2020, the latest new piece of legislation to come about as a result of the Coronavirus crisis. The government has introduced a new

The journey into the next phases of pandemic management is well underway and the timing of opening of different industries is becoming clearer each week. It is good that the government has extended financial support under the Job Retention Scheme (JRS, or Furlough) and is allowing businesses to bri

Blair Nimmo, head of restructuring at KPMG UK, details the ways in which Scottish businesses are facing uncertainty and liquidity issues in the current financial climate. In the current environment of dramatically falling consumer demand and great uncertainty, those running the UK’s businesses

Kris Keane, director at big-four audit firm Deloitte, details how firms can emerge from lockdown stronger than when they entered it. A typical crisis plays out over three time frames: ‘respond’, in which a company deals with the present situation and manages continuity; ‘recover&rs

Neil Mitchinson, director of Edinburgh Asset Finance, details why now is not the time for panic selling and ures that firm's let assets take some of the financial strain during the COVID-19 crisis. When the cry of “Fire!” rings out across a crowded theatre, it is a brave and level-headed

Nicola Ross explains the details of new legislation aimed at helping ailing businesses.  The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill was read in UK Parliament at the end of May and is likely to be welcomed by many struggling businesses which are facing potential insolvency due to coronavirus.

Yael Selfin, KPMG UK's chief economist, highlights how the UK needs to rethink the future of its cities in light of the current coronavirus pandemic.  Recessions are usually a catalyst for change and the sharp economic downturn triggered by COVID-19 is bound to turn some things around. One of t

Duncan Raggett, insolvency practitioner and head of the restructuring and recovery team at Anderson Anderson & Brown (AAB) discusses the issues and options firms should be considering in preparation for life after lockdown. The impact of COVID-19 on the economy is likely to be long-lasting.

Probably the most challenging task when reopening or increasing activity is predicting the level of customer demand. The ideal would match staff, production and operations to demand to preserve working capital and cash. This is difficult enough in normal times.

Michael Reid, managing partner at Aberdeen-based Meston Reid & Co, discusses the suspension of wrongful trading. When the temporary suspension of wrongful trading rules for company directors was announced, the UK government commented that it was designed to help business owners combat the f