The British Embassy Manila has announced that the UK and the Philippines have launched the Philippines Country Fund under the UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT) programme in Manila, marking a key milestone in their climate partnership to accelerate the Philippines’ low-carbon transition. The Fund identifies the energy sector as a priority, supporting the Philippines’ commitments to reduce and avoid greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2030 and to meet renewable energy targets under the Philippine Energy Plan 2023–50. It is delivering four strategic interventions: updating offshore wind pricing models and assessing offshore wind infrastructure and developer readiness; strengthening marine spatial planning for sustainable offshore wind development; developing an electric power system cost simulation tool to guide cost-effective, data-driven energy planning; and accelerating micro-grid deployment in unserved and underserved areas to expand energy access and drive inclusive economic growth.

Energy analysis: As British consumers and industry faced unprecedented energy price increases even before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the UK government's British Energy Security Strategy and related announcements were eagerly anticipated. Sarah Pollock, partner, Silke Goldberg, partner, and Paul Butcher, director, at Herbert Smith Freehills, consider the Strategy’s key points.

‘British Equity Collecting Society’ is the UK’s only collecting society (also known as a collective management organisation) for audiovisual performers.

The think tank British Future has published an analysis of polling data which shows that Labour’s proposal to extend the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) from five to ten years is unpopular among its own supporters, most of whom favour retaining the current five-year route. Labour and the Conservatives both advocate lengthening the ILR period and introducing stricter conditions, such as higher English proficiency and evidence of community contribution, while Reform UK proposes abolishing ILR altogether. By contrast, the Green Party supports maintaining the five-year route, and the Liberal Democrats recommend no change. These competing proposals reflect a broader political debate over whether Britain should retain the migrants it has already attracted.

UK in a Changing Europe has published an analysis examining the Labour government’s proposed changes to settlement rules. The analysis considers the proposed earned settlement model, under which migrants would face extended and stratified pathways to indefinite leave to remain ranging from three to 15 or more years depending on skill level, with mid-skill roles such as chefs and electricians potentially subject to longer routes. The article highlights concerns regarding the retrospective application of the reforms to individuals already in the UK, the creation of differentiated access to settlement and associated rights, and uncertainty surrounding the government’s estimated £10 billion fiscal impact. The analysis notes that the proposals remain subject to ongoing political and parliamentary debate.

British Future and Ipsos have tracked and monitored British attitudes towards immigration since 2015 through their Immigration Attitudes tracker. One of the key findings from the tracker is that over the last two years, public opinion towards immigration has become more negative, with 55% of opinion wanting migrant numbers to be reduced. This comes after the 2024 UK general election with the Conservatives' loss to Labour exposing it losing public trust regarding migration policies. The tracker reveals 70% of the public think of people coming to the UK for asylum/apply for refugee status, when they think of the word 'immigrant'. 46% think of immigrants as people coming to the UK looking for work, while 29% think of people coming to the UK to study. In particular, the report highlights how the British public overestimates the prominence of asylum. For example, the tracker reveals the public believe immigrants seeking asylum make up 37% of immigration when it is actually only 7%. In this comment piece, Steve Ballinger at British Future looks in more detail at the findings of its new report, based on latest data from the tracker, and what they might mean for the UK immigration debate and politics of the new parliament.

A new report by think tank British Future addresses the continuing failure of the UK government to reduce small boat crossings and argues that only a scaled-up ‘routes and returns’ deal with France can combine a more controlled system with the compassion needed to sustain refugee protection. Past strategies, from Priti Patel’s pledge to halve crossings to Rishi Sunak’s ‘Stop the boats’ and the abortive Rwanda scheme, have proved ineffective or unworkable, leaving a rising backlog in asylum claims and heavy reliance on hotel accommodation. By contrast, the Starmer government’s recent treaty with France envisages a pilot of around fifty weekly returns and admissions, modest in scope but intended to prove the concept that cooperation, rather than unilateral bans, can ‘restore order’.

The British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) is a key component of the government's UK Modern Industrial Strategy aimed at improving the international competitiveness and profitability of eligible UK businesses by reducing certain electricity policy costs recovered through electricity bills. Through exemptions from the costs associated with the Renewables Obligation (RO), Feed-in Tariffs (FiT) and Capacity Market (CM), BICS is intended to reduce electricity costs for eligible businesses operating in specified frontier and foundational industries. Although the principal beneficiaries of BICS are energy-intensive manufacturers, the scheme has wider implications across the electricity sector. It affects electricity suppliers responsible for administering the exemptions, developers and operators of energy-intensive industrial projects, manufacturers of components used in energy infrastructure, and parties negotiating electricity supply agreements, private wire arrangements and co-location projects. This Practice Note explains how BICS operates, the eligibility criteria, the level of relief available and the implementation timetable. It also considers the interaction between BICS and the Energy Intensive Industries (EII) scheme and the British Industry Supercharger, together with the key practical implications

The Interpretation Act 1978 provides that British Islands includes the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, but not the Republic of Ireland.

The British Isles includes the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, and the Republic of Ireland.

Trade association representing owners and investors in commercial and residential property. The BPF publishes standard forms of contract'>building contract, appointments and warranties.

The British Red Cross has published a report on improving refugee accommodation for displaced Ukrainians. The report sets out the experiences of displaced people, identifies good practice and learning, and makes recommendations to strengthen support generally for people seeking safety in the UK. The report summarises the findings from the British Red Cross’ review of accommodation responses in the UK, EU and Canada, focus group discussions with 35 displaced Ukrainians across the UK, and interviews with 31 professional stakeholders involved in the delivery of the Ukraine visa schemes.