For more than two decades, the United Kingdom's (U.K.) foreign direct investment regime remained fairly untouched. Then, in mid-2021, amidst pressure from its allies, particularly the United States, the U.K. overhauled and...more
Three Key Takeaways - There was, and remains, strong parliamentary consensus for reform to the UK’s foreign investment screening laws, stemming from sharpening geopolitical and strategic threats and the growing national...more
On 2 March 2021, the UK government published its response to a consultation on the sectors of the economy which are to be subject to mandatory notification under the new inward investment regime to be introduced by the...more
The UK has published a draft of its new National Security and Investment Bill, together with explanatory notes, heralding the introduction of a new regime for reviewing investments in the UK. The new regime would introduce,...more
On 11 November 2020, the government announced the details of its proposals for national security-based review of investments in the UK, in the form of the National Security and Investment Bill ("NSIB"). Protectionism is a...more
On 11 November 2020, the UK Government (the “Government”) published the draft National Security and Investment Bill (the “Bill”), heralding the dawn of a new era through the proposed introduction of the UK’s first standalone...more
The UK government has introduced proposals for extensive new rules and review powers governing foreign direct investment across the UK’s critical infrastructure and defence industries. The new regime will introduce tougher...more
On 11 November 2020, the UK Government announced its long-awaited and far-reaching proposed reforms to its existing powers to scrutinise foreign investment in the UK, especially in relation to sectors deemed to be...more
The UK government’s long-awaited National Security and Investment Bill (the Bill), which paves the way to significant changes in the UK’s regime for screening foreign investment, was laid before Parliament on 11 November...more
1. Summary The United Kingdom (U.K.) government published the National Security and Investment Bill (“NSI Bill” or “Bill”) on November 11, 2020, the aim of which is to strengthen the government’s powers to scrutinize and...more
On 11 November 2020, the UK government announced the long-awaited and wide ranging reforms to the regulation and scrutiny of foreign direct investment. Introducing a mandatory notification system for affected transactions,...more
The UK has outlined the details of its new National Security and Investment Bill, heralding the introduction of a new regime for foreign direct investments in the UK. The new regime would introduce, for the first time, a...more
On 21 June 2020, the UK Government announced that it is introducing emergency legislation that will bolster its powers to scrutinise, and potentially block, foreign takeovers on new public interest grounds, namely: ..to...more
The UK government has tabled changes to the Enterprise Act 2002 to expand the circumstances in which the government will be empowered to review foreign takeovers of UK companies. The new rules will allow the government to...more
The coronavirus pandemic has weakened European economies and companies. EU and national governments have expressed concern that foreign investors may opportunistically take advantage of the crisis to acquire domestic...more
Despite political and economic uncertainties, markets and deal activity were resilient in 2019, and strong fundamentals remain in place heading into 2020. Companies continue to face a challenging litigation and enforcement...more
The Conservative Party’s conclusive win in the U.K.’s recent general election paves the way for long-anticipated and decisive reforms to the country’s national security screening regime. The government first outlined its...more
National security interventions have largely been confined to defense-related transactions - Since mid-2018, there have been a number of important changes (actual and proposed) to legislation permitting intervention by...more
The UK 5G debate is emblematic of protectionist sentiments in the technology sector. Huawei and the technology cold war - Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. is a modern Chinese success story. A pioneer in the telecommunication...more
The UK currently uses the Enterprise Act 2002 to review mergers on national security and other public interest grounds alongside the competition regime. Following the Chinese investment in the Hinckley Nuclear power...more
The expansion of the UK government’s foreign investment review powers will require additional scrutiny of potential deals for the early identification of additional steps in the regulatory approval strategy. Key Points: ...more
This week the UK Government enacted two new orders which change the UK merger control thresholds under the Enterprise Act 2002. The legislation extends the jurisdiction of the Competition & Markets Authority (“CMA”) and the...more
The UK government considers that transactions in the following sectors can raise national security concerns: 1. quantum technology; 2. computing hardware; and 3. the development or production of items for military...more
The Situation: The UK government is introducing new protectionist measures concerning acquisitions of businesses operating in the United Kingdom. The Impact: The government intends to expand the scope of acquisition...more
On 17 October 2017 the UK Government published a Green Paper heralding reform of national security and infrastructure investment review in the UK (the Green Paper). Specifically, the Government is seeking to strengthen...more