Corporate backsliding on climate and diversity policies mean this year’s annual meetings may be tough for some of the UK’s biggest companies

The leafy surroundings of Sunbury-on-Thames in Surrey will provide an unlikely backdrop for potentially one of the most explosive events of an intriguing shareholder meeting season, as corporate Britain grapples with a rapidly shifting geopolitical backdrop.

Next month, BP will host its annual general meeting (AGM) outside London for a second consecutive year, a move that last year failed to deter the climate protesters who have frequently disrupted oil companies’ meetings.