In this month’s edition of REF News and Views we are going to wrap up our series on the National Security and Investment Act 2021 (the “NSI Act”) and explore the NSI Act’s impact on the real estate finance (“REF”) market....more
As the UK’s investment screening regime starts to bed down following over a year of being in effect, we have been tracking the developments in the last quarter relevant to the operation of the regime. It has been a tumultuous...more
The highly anticipated Memorandum of Understanding on scrutiny of the Investment Security Unit (“ISU”) between the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee (“BEIS Committee”) and the ISU (the “MoU”) agreed on 14...more
In line with the UK’s Net Zero Strategy, the UK became the first G20 country to adopt the recommendations of the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), with effective dates rolling out for different...more
On February 7, the British government announced the creation of four new departments, including the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The new department has been tasked with “securing [Britain’s] long-term energy...more
On 8 February 2023, the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, announced his government’s decision to restructure the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), splitting it into a number of separate departments....more
DOJ Sees First Merger Win After String of Losses - Penguin Random House’s planned acquisition of rival Simon & Schuster was blocked by Judge Florence Pan of the US District Court for the District of Columbia on November...more
On January 13, an independent report was published into the UK government’s approach to delivering on its net zero obligations. The review, commissioned by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), was...more
The National Security and Investment Act 2021 (NSIA) came into force a year ago, ushering in a new era of investment control in the UK. Though not without teething issues, the NSIA appears to be working well, and is...more
On January 9, the UK’s Department of Business, Energy & Industry Strategy (BEIS) launched a consultation aimed at better aligning the UK’s electricity generation market with the UK government’s net zero targets, including a...more
Net-Zero Review - The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy ("BEIS") has commissioned an independent review of the UK government's approach to delivering its net- zero target, in a way that is...more
The UK government has exercised its powers under the UK’s national security and investment regime to unwind Chinese-owned Nexperia’s acquisition of Newport Wafer Fab (“NWF”), a semiconductor wafer factory located in Newport,...more
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill (the Bill) includes a package of proposed legislative amendments to U.K. limited partnership (UKLP) law, substantially to tighten registration requirements and improve...more
On 6 September 2022, a proposed negative statutory instrument relating to Brexit was published by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (“BEIS”): the Product Safety and Metrology (Amendment) Regulations...more
The High Court of England and Wales (the “High Court”) recently ruled1 that the U.K. government’s Net Zero Strategy (NZS) breached the detail and reporting requirements of the Climate Change Act 2008 (“CCA 2008”). In this...more
On July 20, 2022, the Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) within the UK government published a final order blocking a proposed licensing arrangement between the...more
Welcome to our H1 2022 Energy and Infrastructure Round-up. Here we share our assessment of key legal and transactional developments in the energy and infrastructure market including: •Market Activity- •Market...more
On 20 July 2022, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy issued the first prohibition under the National Security and Investment Act 2021. We consider the lessons learned from this milestone and...more
Following on from its first annual report on the National Security and Investment Act (“NSIA”) in June 2022 ), on 19 July 2022 the UK’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (“BEIS”) published its first set of...more
The UK Government this week prohibited the acquisition of intellectual property owned by University of Manchester by a Chinese company – marking the first time the UK Government has exercised its powers to block a transaction...more
HM Treasury publishes the outcome and recommendations of the UK Secondary Capital Raising Review - On 19 July 2022, HM Treasury published the final report (the "Report") of the UK Secondary Capital Raising Review, which...more
On June 16, 2022, the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) published its first annual report regarding the National Security and Investment Act 2021 (the NSI Act). The report solely covers the...more
On 16 June 2022, the UK’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (“BEIS”) published its first annual report into the performance of the National Security and Investment Act (“NSIA”) regime. The report - which...more
The UK’s national security and investment regime came into effect on 4 January 2022. On 16 June, the UK government published its first report on the operation of the regime for the period between 4 January and 31 March...more
It has now been just over six months since the UK’s national security regime came into effect under the National Security and Investment Act 2021 (NSIA), enabling the UK Government to review and intervene in a variety of...more