UK government courts Anthropic for London expansion, pitching dual listing and talent hub as Starmer seeks to capitalise on the $380 billion AI group's Pentagon dispute
The UK government is actively courting Anthropic, the San Francisco-based AI company valued at approximately $380 billion, to expand its presence in London, following the US Defence Department's move to blacklist the company in a dispute that fractured its relationship with the Trump administration. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office has backed the effort, which will be put formally to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei during a planned visit to the UK in late May.
Anthropics already employs around 200 people in the UK, including 60 researchers, and appointed former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as a senior adviser last year. The government's opening position builds on a memorandum of understanding (MoU — a non-binding agreement to cooperate on defined objectives) signed with Anthropic last year, covering scientific progress and AI supply chain security.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has separately written to Amodei describing London as a 'steadfast' base offering a 'stable, proportionate and pro-innovation environment'. Peter Kyle, the UK Business Secretary, positioned the outreach through his Global Talent Taskforce. One government figure described 'the dream' as persuading Anthropic to dual list its shares in the UK and US — though officials privately acknowledge this is a highly unlikely outcome. Anthropic is preparing for an as early as this year.
The UK's approach reflects a broader competition among governments to build 'sovereign' AI capability and reduce dependence on US AI infrastructure, following 's recent commitment to make London its largest research hub outside the US. is also completing a roughly campus in King's Cross. The UK separately announced plans last month to launch a state-backed 'blue-sky' AI research laboratory.
IPO (initial public offering)
OpenAI
Google
£1 billion
£40 million
Why this matters
A dual listing of Anthropic on the London Stock Exchange — however unlikely — would be the most consequential UK capital markets event in years, activating prospectus preparation, FCA listing rule compliance, and ongoing PDMR notification work at scale. Even short of a listing, a significant operational expansion by Anthropic into the UK triggers inward investment structuring work, employment contracts governed by English law, data processing agreements under UK GDPR, and technology transfer arrangements. The 'why now' is the Pentagon dispute creating a genuine opening: Anthropic has a commercial and reputational incentive to diversify its geopolitical risk by deepening its non-US footprint, and the UK government is moving quickly to exploit it. For firms advising on AI inward investment, the deal flow from US AI labs expanding into London is already real — Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google DeepMind all represent active client relationships.
On the Ground
A trainee on an inward investment or dual-listing advisory matter would coordinate cross-border legal opinion letters between UK and US counsel, prepare choice-of-law summaries for key contracts governed by English versus Californian law, and assist with UK GDPR data transfer impact assessment documentation for any movement of research data between US and UK operations.
Interview prep
Soundbite
Geopolitical risk to US AI companies is converting into inward investment mandates for London-based corporate and capital markets teams.
Question you might get
“What are the principal legal and regulatory hurdles Anthropic would need to clear to achieve a dual listing of its shares on the London Stock Exchange alongside a US listing, and which would be most contentious?”
Full answer
The UK government is formally courting Anthropic to expand in London, building on an existing MoU and Anthropic's deteriorating relationship with the US Defence Department to pitch the UK as a stable, pro-innovation alternative base. This matters commercially because Anthropic — valued at $380 billion and preparing for an IPO — is exactly the kind of high-growth technology issuer that would transform London's capital markets profile if it chose a UK primary or dual listing. Even without a listing, a material operational expansion generates corporate structuring, employment, IP licensing, and data protection work across several City practice groups. The wider picture is a global race among governments to anchor US AI labs domestically, with OpenAI, Google, and now potentially Anthropic all deepening their London presence — making UK inward investment law a growth area for the foreseeable future. This suggests any firm with a strong technology transactions or capital markets practice should be positioning to advise AI companies on their UK regulatory and corporate structures.