Friday, July 30, 2021
The new UK National Security and Investment Act 2021 (NSI Act) received Royal Asset on 29 April 2021 and, at the time, the UK Government indicated that further guidance regarding the scope and the effective date of the NSI Act would be issued in due course. The UK Government has recently announced that the NSI Act will come into full force on 4 January 2022. In addition, the UK Government has published a series of further guidance notes and materials related to the NSI Act. The NSI Act is a stand-alone regime granting the UK Government wide new powers to scrutinise and intervene in acquisitions and investments on grounds of national security. Once in force, it will replace the national security considerations currently contained within the Enterprise Act 2002.