China will impose new mining controls and security reviews on foreign investment from 15 June and require strategic mineral reserves to be stored at source for at least five years, with extensions decided by State Council reviews. The measures, announced via Xinhua, aim to accelerate construction of strategic reserve sites and tighten state control over unspecified “key” minerals. Coming days after the Trump–Xi summit, the move reinforces China’s dominance over rare earths such as yttrium, where it already controls over 60% of mined supply and almost all processing.

Financing for the 3.2GW Sizewell C nuclear plant has been criticised by the UK National Audit Office, which says the Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model and £700M of direct government investment place more risk on taxpayers and bill-payers than Contracts for Difference used on other low‑carbon projects. The NAO estimates consumer benefits will not exceed costs until after 2060, well beyond the station’s planned early‑2030s commissioning. For civil and nuclear contractors, the findings signal prolonged political and regulatory scrutiny of cost overruns, schedule risk and allowable returns.

The UK government is introducing the Small Business Protections Bill (Commercial Payments Bill) to parliament, imposing a statutory 60‑day cap on payment terms for large firms and mandatory interest on late payments to smaller suppliers. The bill grants the Small Business Commissioner new powers to investigate, adjudicate and levy fines worth tens of millions of pounds on persistent late payers. For construction, a planned ban on cash retentions could significantly alter contract structures, cashflow management, and security arrangements for defects and incomplete works.