United Kingdom: Government, Public Sector

The UK Government has introduced draft legislation for a new securities transfer tax (STT) to replace existing stamp duty regimes, while the Investment Security Unit has been restructured under the Department...

Andy Burnham's vision for 'Number 10 North' aims to devolve power and drive regional economic growth across the UK, but where will the investment come from? Guernsey's funds sector has quietly been channeling billions in international capital directly into UK regions for years, backing infrastructure, innovation, and defense projects from Manchester to Durham. With £58 billion already invested and growing at 7% annually, this established conduit may hold part of the answer to Britain's regional investm

The UK government's 2025/26 annual report reveals significant shifts in the National Security and Investment Act's operation, with notification volumes climbing 15.8% while intervention rates drop to historic lows. Despite longer review timelines and increased scrutiny of certain investor origins, 98.9% of transactions proceeded without government intervention, raising questions about the regime's scope and effectiveness.

The EU has introduced its first major amendment to the AI Act through the AI Omnibus regulation, which delays certain compliance deadlines while maintaining others. Organizations must understand which obligations remain on schedule, including transparency requirements and general-purpose AI provisions, and which have been deferred, such as high-risk AI system requirements.

The internationalization of wealth combined with people living longer and the prevalence of dementia means that it is increasingly important to think about who looks after your affairs if you are not able to.

Principal Associate Natalie Barton-Howes and Associate Brett Mason examine the Building Safety Regulator's enforcement powers, current priorities, and major reforms reshaping the regulatory landscape. The discussion explores the regulator's enforcement toolkit and how it's being used to drive higher standards and improve accountability across the construction industry.

The UK government's 2025/26 annual report reveals significant shifts in the National Security and Investment Act's operation, with notification volumes climbing 15.8% while intervention rates drop to historic lows. Despite longer review timelines and increased scrutiny of certain investor origins, 98.9% of transactions proceeded without government intervention, raising questions about the regime's scope and effectiveness.

Christopher Nolan's latest film, The Odyssey, raises an intriguing question: could the legendary Trojan Horse have been patented under modern UK or European patent law? This analysis explores the technical and legal challenges of protecting military inventions, from novelty requirements and publication restrictions to the tension between disclosure obligations and strategic secrecy.

On 14 July 2026, the UK Cabinet Office published the fifth Annual Report on the National Security and Investment Act 2021 (NSI Act) (the Report). The Report provides summary information and statistics relating to the review of transactions and investments on national security grounds in the UK during the period 1 April 2025 – 31 March 2026.

Two UK companies have been fined a combined total of over £237,000 for breaches of export control regulations involving unlicensed exports of military-listed goods. The companies secured compound settlements with HMRC after voluntarily disclosing the violations, which were deemed inadvertent or due to weaknesses in internal controls.

FIDIC's Gold Book offers a distinctive approach to infrastructure procurement by combining design, construction and long-term operation into a single contract framework. While the model promises better alignment between construction quality and operational performance, its limited market adoption raises questions about whether employers are willing to pay for extended risk transfer and whether contractors can confidently price obligations extending 20 years or more. This analysis examines why the Gold Book

Retention payments, where a percentage of the contract sum is withheld until completion and rectification of defects, have long been a source of cashflow pressure and, ultimately disputes across the construction supply chain.