At a Glance Governance and Risk

The Summer 2025 edition of our UK Governance and Risk guide summarises some key developments of interest since the beginning of this year.  

Topics covered in this update include:

• UK government policy for promoting growth, competitiveness and streamlining regulatory interventions, 
• the progress of stewardship and audit reforms, 
• developments in UK corporate reporting to minimise burdens, promote the use of digital technologies and give guidance on going concern reports,
• the evolving framework for UK, EU and IFRS-aligned sustainability reporting, including plans to simplify some existing regulations,
• market practice in 2025 so far for listed company AGMs when it comes to meeting formats, climate and ESG-related resolutions, and voting guidance,
• supplier diligence and reporting obligations in relation to modern slavery, payment practices and deforestation,
• diversity, equity and inclusion developments,
• avoiding greenwashing risks under new consumer protection powers,
• the development of new and more restrictive workforce rights legislation,
• guidance on the use of AI and dealing with cyber risks,
• the implementation of new corporate transparency rules, including for directors and others to be ID-verified,
• the FCA’s new approach to enforcing and publicising investigations into market transparency breaches,
• measures to prevent economic crimes such as fraud, sanctions evasions, and bribery,
• guidance for company directors on AI governance, the use of NEDs, disqualification sanctions, and risk management, and
• updates to executive remuneration rules affecting listed companies and the water sector, and
• other topics of interest related to tariffs, US SEC rules for foreign listed issuers and competition law dawn raids.