<p>Filter Knowledge</p>

Introduction

SDR is widely seen as the UK's answer to the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), which is currently under review by the European Commission (in fact, we understand that the Commission has an eye on SDR as part of that review). While narrower in scope than SFDR in some respects, it goes further in others insofar as it provides for a set of formal product labels and imposes minimum standards for labelled­ products and non-labelled products that have ESG-related terms in their names (although some will already be familiar with the FCA's ‘Guiding Principles’ for authorised ESG and sustainable investment funds, which sets out expectations in terms of design, delivery and disclosure in relation to such funds).

Do the policy changes announced by the UK Government in September mean that it is rowing back on its commitment Net Zero? Anyone wanting to understand the UK's Net Zero ambitions may ask how many plans it takes to switch on a light bulb.

On 26 October 2023, the UK's Energy Act 2023 (the "Act") received Royal Assent, becoming one of the largest pieces of energy legislation in a generation. The Act was originally introduced in July 2022 by then Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng as the 'Energy Security Bill'. The Energy Security Bill was reviewed following the resignation of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss before being re-tabled to the House of Lords on 12 December 2022 under its new name, the Energy Act.

Since the publication of the Government's 2017 white paper "Fixing our broken housing market", there has been much discussion about the Government's plans to reform the housing market especially by means of modernising the leasehold sector. The King's Speech on 7 November 2023 included further announcements about leasehold reform.

Find the latest news, views and our analysis of all the key announcements.

A regular briefing for the alternative asset management industry. 

Last week the Quoted Companies Alliance (the "QCA") published its revised Corporate Governance Code (the "Revised Code"). The Revised Code will apply in respect of financial years beginning on or after 1 April 2024 and there will be a 12-month transition period (from 1 April 2024) during which companies will have additional flexibility to adjust to the provisions of the Revised Code.

Our regular round-up of recent and forthcoming developments in law and practice for in-house counsel.

On 10 November 2023, the text of an Amending Directive that will make amendments to the EU Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (EU AIFMD) was published. This set of changes is referred to as "AIFMD II".

In this edition, we highlight the key regulatory and policy developments this Autumn which will impact investors in and operators of energy and infrastructure assets in the UK. Please get in touch if you'd like to discuss any of the issues discussed below.

Key employment and business immigration developments for employers.

A regular briefing for the alternative asset management industry. 

On 16 March 2023, the EU Commission announced plans for the "Critical Raw Materials Act" (the "CRMA"): a "comprehensive set of actions" designed to ensure long-term access in the EU to a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials. The proposal forms part of the Green Deal Industrial Plan, adopted in February 2023, which aims to create a regulatory environment which supports the net-zero transition.

Our "Smart AI Regulation?" series of briefings looks at emerging regulatory frameworks for AI in the EU and the UK and AI's intellectual property and data protection implications.

On 1 October 2023, the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism ("CBAM") regulation officially entered into its transitional period, which will run until 31 December 2025. The CBAM is effectively an import tax on carbon-intensive products, such as cement, steel, iron, aluminium and electricity.

This Briefing sets out the headline changes that UK incorporated main market and AIM listed companies should be aware of from the past year and a timeline of key upcoming developments. This Briefing also covers, at a high level, some topics which are not specific to listed companies.

The law on workplace sexual harassment is changing. Below, we summarise what you need to know, and how to prepare for the changes.

Read and listen to "What’s Happening in Pensions", our regular news briefing covering topical pensions law developments.

There's a new way for UK businesses to transfer personal data compliantly to the US. A newly established data bridge, an extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF) adopted in July 2023, enables organisations in the UK to transfer personal data to organisations in the US that have certified to the DPF, without putting in place further safeguards, such as standard contractual clauses (SCCs), or carrying out a transfer risk assessment.

As many companies take the first steps towards understanding the impact of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive ("CSRD") on their organisations, a series of seemingly impactful changes to the regime, and corresponding alarming headlines, have emerged. However, while these changes and headlines might make businesses worry that they will need to pivot their plans and processes as a reaction, in practice, many of those currently preparing for CSRD reporting may find that recent developments do not move the dial significantly and they may well still be on the right path towards CSRD compliance.