Clifford Chance

UK national security reviews to catch a substantially broader range of mergers

25 July 2018

The UK Government is proposing to broaden substantially the scope of the national security screening regime to catch a wide range of transactions in any sector, with no minimum size of transaction.  While the regime will remain voluntary, transactions that are called in for review by the Government would become subject to an automatic prohibition on closing (unless already closed) and potential interim measures.  The Government expects around 200 transactions per year will be notified, with around 100 becoming subject to review on national security grounds, compared to only one or two at present. 

Download PDF