UK National Security and Investment Act 2021

On April 29, 2021, the U.K. adopted the National Security and Investment Act.  The United Kingdom has issued draft rules and the law will go into effect on January 4, 2022. The law is and rules are complex, but from that date, acquisitions of 25% or more in a company active in the United Kingdom or in some cases with negative control in certain sectors (such as advanced robotics, defense, energy, synthetic biology, transport and others), will require pre-approval from the new Investment Security Unit. The regime is one of the most comprehensive in the world, and is likely to cause some additional review of certain acquisitions. It is likely to become a standard for review of its type in other countries.