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07 March 2025
Issue: 8107 / Categories: Legal News , National security , International
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NLJ this week: Policing business deals that could threaten national security

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The UK government has the power to review and potentially stop any business transactions that could threaten national security, courtesy of legislation that came into effect at the start of 2022. In this week’s NLJ, Ludovica Pizzetti, counsel, Arnold & Porter, looks at the operation to date of this legislation, the UK National Investment and Security Act 2021 (NSIA 2021).

Pizzetti sets out key trends that have emerged in relation to NSIA 2021 as well as anticipated developments in the year ahead. She notes that ‘the UK regime is, at least to a certain extent, country agnostic. There are several examples—including in the last 12 months—where UK acquirers have been subject to an in-depth review and cleared subject to conditions. Acquirers from other “friendly” nations such as the US, Canada, and various EU member states have also undergone close scrutiny and even been made subject to remedy decisions.’

Pizzetti also provides a brief overview of the ‘increasing array’ of US trade and investment regulation that may affect cross-Atlantic deals. 

MOVERS & SHAKERS

WSP Solicitors—David Ashcroft & Jessica O’Shea

WSP Solicitors—David Ashcroft & Jessica O’Shea

Commercial property and child law teams expand with senior hires

Duxton Hill Chambers—Lucas Bastin KC & Joshua Hiew

Duxton Hill Chambers—Lucas Bastin KC & Joshua Hiew

Set expands London and Singapore offering with senior international disputes hires

Gilson Gray—Gregor Duthie & Stephen Forsyth

Gilson Gray—Gregor Duthie & Stephen Forsyth

Firm strengthens real estate and litigation teams with partner promotions

NEWS
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Five years after the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 came into force, concerns remain that the family courts continue to minimise allegations of abuse in child contact disputes
Uber has built a formidable strategy for insulating itself from liability for drivers’ conduct, but the legal terrain differs sharply between the US and England and Wales
The Civil Justice Council’s review of Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974 could mark the end of what one commentator calls an ‘outdated’ and overly technical regime governing solicitor-client fee disputes
The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026 marks a constitutional watershed by severing the centuries-old link between hereditary titles and automatic membership of the upper chamber
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