New National Security Merger Thresholds Come Into Force In The UK

On 11 June 2018, new merger control thresholds entered into force in the UK, allowing for greater intervention in transactions raising national security concerns.

Under existing rules, the UK Government is only empowered to intervene in mergers on public interest grounds of national security, plurality and other considerations relating to newspapers and other media, and the stability of the UK financial system. However, according to the UK Government, there have been significant technological advances, economic developments and changes in the nature of threats to national security, which necessitated reform of the existing merger control regime (see VBB on Competition Law, Volume 2017, No. 10, available at www.vbb.com).