Business

This note gives some key statistics on UK-Commonwealth trade.

The so-called level playing field - rules on competition, state aid, taxation, labour and environmental standards, and climate change - are one of the main causes of disagreement between the UK and EU in the negotiations on their future partnership. This paper explains the commitments that both parties are proposing in these areas in order to come to a deal.

This Commons briefing paper sets out the current legal position in respect of shop opening hours. It considers recent calls to suspend Sunday trading rules during the coronavirus pandemic. It also outlines new rights for Sunday shop workers contained in the Enterprise Act 2016.

Many people have been given unsuitable financial advice to transfer their valuable Defined Benefit pensions into less suitable and secure Defined Contribution schemes. Poor advice has led to growing compensation payments from the Financial Ombudsman Service and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Some have speculated that this issue may represent a large mis-selling scandal, the full scale of which may only come to light in the event of an economic downturn.

This briefing looks at the failure of London Capital & Finance Plc (LCF) and the consequences for those who invested in the firm's 'mini-bonds'.

The tables in this paper provide a summary of the UK and EU positions in the future relationship negotiations, based on their proposed draft treaty texts and other publicly available statements

The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill [Bill 128] was introduced in the House of Commons on 20 May 2020 and is expected to have its Second Reading on 3 June 2020.

A short Commons Library Briefing paper providing an update on the water retail market for non-household customers in England. It includes information on support for business customers during the coronavirus outbreak in each nation.

This paper provides national and regional figures for the number of public houses and bars in the UK, as well as employment data.

Reforms to corporate governance are multiple and varied. This briefing discusses the Government's work in this area, and other proposals.

This paper provides an update on the first three rounds of negotiations on the future UK-EU relationship and analysis of the draft new partnership treaty tabled by the EU in March 2020

This Commons Library briefing paper examines the growth in short-term lettings through online peer-to-peer platforms. It outlines the positive impacts of the accommodation sharing economy, and growing concerns about the adverse effects of high levels of short-term lettings in some areas. The paper discusses calls from some sectors for greater regulation of short-term lettings in England, and provides a brief overview of the regulatory approaches in other countries.

Background and issues for consideration concerning the Government's proposed Shared Prosperity Fund, which will replace EU structural funding now that the UK has left the EU.