Brexit spurs near doubling of UK domestic deals

Companies seeking to “bulk up” to offset the uncertainty caused by Britain’s looming EU exit helped to spur a near doubling of domestic mergers and acquisition activity this year, according to Thomson Reuters data. The volume of UK domestic deals surged to £51 billion as the number of deals between British groups jumped from 1,480 to 1,681, the highest level since 2008, the data show. They included online gambling company GVC’s purchase of bookmaker Ladbrokes Coral for as much as £3.9 billion and Hammerson’s £3.4 billion acquisition of rival shopping centre operator Intu Properties. It comes against a backdrop of often fractious Brexit negotiations between London and Brussels this year, talks that are yet to provide businesses with clarity about Britain’s future relationship with Europe. Bosses at British companies have also been eyeing new US President Donald Trump, whose decisions have repercussions for businesses around the world. “At the beginning of 2017 there were a lot of questions about what was going to happen to the market, given the global uncertainty caused by Brexit and the new US president,” said Nick Cline, a London-based partner at law firm Latham &  Watkins, who...