Following on from our previous post on 22nd October 2020 (please see here), the UK Government have confirmed that a full consultation will be launched in early 2021 on potential precautionary powers to block company listings on UK stock exchanges on national security grounds in certain scenarios. The announcement has coincided with the recent introduction of the National Security and Investment (“NS&I”) Bill which significantly expands the UK Government’s powers to review the national security implications of transactions. For further information on the NS&I Bill please click here.

Author

Samantha Mobley is a partner in the EU, Competition & Trade Practice of Baker & McKenzie’s London office and a member of the London office Management Committee. She headed Baker McKenzie’s Global Antitrust and Competition Group, a team of over 300 competition and antitrust specialists worldwide for six years. Samantha has significant experience of advising on the implications of foreign direct investment rules for cross-border transactions. She has advised a number of companies on the implication of the reduced UK national security thresholds, as well as coordinating the global foreign investment review aspects of a proposed $12 billion joint venture between a FTSE100 company and a Fortune 500 corporate. Samantha is a Who’s Who Legal 2020 Leading Individual for Foreign Investment Review.

Author

Nick O'Donnell is a partner in Baker McKenzie's Corporate Department in London. He has over 20 years' experience advising on a wide range of corporate finance transactions. He has spent time on secondment in senior legal positions with Morgan Stanley and, more recently, Goldman Sachs and has also previously been based in New York and the UAE. He is recognized in his field by The Legal 500 and by IFLR. He is regularly quoted and interviewed in the press on the market including, most recently, in the Sunday Telegraph, The Financial Times, Financial News and on CNBC.