UK M&A deal numbers fell in Q2 2026, ONS figures show

Official ONS data show the total number of mergers and acquisitions involving UK companies dropped to 353 in Quarter 2 2026, down from 407 in the previous quarter.

The 353 deals recorded between April and June 2026 represent a fall of 54 transactions compared with the 407 logged in Quarter 1, the figures show. All deals counted in the series carry a value of £1 million or more, so the drop reflects meaningful corporate activity rather than small-scale transfers.

Within the quarter, the monthly picture was uneven. Deal numbers fell from 139 in April to 102 in May — a drop of 26 per cent in a single month — before recovering slightly to 112 in June. So the quarter ended on a modest upward note, though the overall level remained well below where it started in January.

For Kent, the data are national rather than county-specific, and no verified Kent M&A count exists in the ONS release. But the broader trend matters here. Corporate finance advisers, solicitors and accountants across the county whose work depends on deal flow tend to feel shifts in national M&A appetite fairly quickly. A softer quarter nationally can mean fewer instructions locally.

Whether the May trough signals genuine caution among investors and lenders, or simply normal quarterly volatility, isn’t clear from the data alone. The ONS presents the figures as a statistical update, not a forecast.