Opinion

Employment law specialist Robin Turnbull writes about the recent legal victory for trade unions in the UK, making it illegal for employers to use agency staff to cover the work of striking employees, and discusses the potential implications. Following a recent legal challenge by 13 trade unions

Andy Drane looks at the emerging trend of large corporations partnering with landowners to finance carbon offset projects as part of their efforts to reach net zero emissions, and discusses the opportunities, risks, and considerations involved for the landowners. Most landowners will fully recognise

Adam Hardie discusses the implications of the new alcohol duty rules set to come into effect next week, which are predicted to impact the entire drinks sector, with particular benefits for producers of low and no-alcohol beverages. Major change is brewing in the drinks sector. On August 1, 2023, new

Conduit Finance managing director Jamie Davidson looks at how Scotland can learn from the German capital's rent cap alternative to instead accelerate social housing. Translated it means rent cover. It's relevant in the context of the Scottish rent freeze & cap. There was an interesting announcem

Clare Paterson writes about the initiatives and efforts undertaken by the Scottish Government and the construction industry to reform the process of construction procurement, discussing recent workshops focused on streamlining procurement, increasing collaboration, and improving outcomes. On average

Kate Darracott looks at the proposed reforms by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to the UK's listing rules aimed at making UK stock markets more attractive to businesses seeking to raise capital, and how they may make the UK listing regime more competitive, particularly for early-stage, high-gr

Marcus Di Rollo discusses housing issues in Scotland, from a shortfall of homes and rising rents to the impact of government policies on landlords and the construction of new homes. In recent weeks, we’ve heard about a handful of city centre properties in Glasgow being turned into student acco

Tax expert Adrian Johnston discusses the recent increase in interest rates on late tax payments by the HMRC, its potential impact on businesses and individuals, and the possible solutions like the 'Time To Pay' service that allows for customised payment plans based on individual financial circumstan

Ahead of the 1 October licence applications deadline, housing minister Paul McLennan discusses the importance of the short term let licensing scheme in Scotland, looking at its benefits to tourism and local economies, and addressing potential safety and housing availability risks. A few weeks ago, I

There is no doubt that the UK is one of the best locations for wind power in the world – and there’s been significant investment to capitalise on that energy advantage. At present it has over 11,000 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 28 gigawatts (GW) and aspires to secure

It is becoming increasingly common for businesses to face civil penalties of around £1m or more for breaching UK export control laws. Export control breaches are criminal offences, but the 1979 Customs and Excise Management Act allows HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to "compound" offences and of

Michael Reid, managing partner at Meston Reid & Co, discusses the intricacies of bounce-back loans. In May 2020, the bounce-back loan initiative was introduced by the UK government which provided loans of between £2,000 and £50,000. The application limit was a maximum of 25% of annua

Angus MacLeod, a solicitor who specialises in the spirits industry, has spoken about the challenges currently being faced by the Scotch whisky sector after conducting an analysis of the industry’s production, sales, and global reputation, and discussed the strategies that can be employed to ov

Peter Shand discusses the tax implications of owning and collecting art, including Inheritance Tax (IHT) and Capital Gains Tax (CGT), and emphasises the importance of tax planning and professional advice for art collectors, whether their collection is vast or modest. Lawyers often pose unexpected qu

Stewart Pennington writes about the challenges faced by food and drink manufacturers in the past year due to rising raw material costs, labour shortages, and the impact of Brexit, and discusses various strategies adopted by companies to manage these issues. The last 12 months have been an extraordin