Real Estate Finance Forum 2025: How can UK real estate better attract international capital?

This article first appeared in CREFC Europe.

In late January, leading figures from some of Europe’s foremost real estate lenders, sponsors, advisors and other market participants gathered at the heart of the UK’s political establishment, The House of Lords at the Palace of Westminster, to discuss the future of the UK real estate sector.

Set in the historic Attlee and Reid Room, the annual Real Estate Finance Forum was co-hosted by LaSalle Investment Management, CREFC Europe, and Regal, and sponsored by Lord Harrington of Watford. Lord Harrington is a seasoned real estate entrepreneur turned politician, and is the author of The Harrington Review of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which notably outlines wide recommendations to reorganise government with the intention of attracting more foreign investment into the UK, including within the real estate sector.

The forum opened with an engaging conversation between Lord Harrington and Liz Peace CBE, a highly respected adviser on real estate and policy. Their discussion, centred around Lord Harrington’s Review, examined UK policy and the most important requirements for attracting more global capital to the UK, particularly considering recent economic shifts. This was followed by a panel discussion that delved deeper into the themes raised, featuring David White, Head of LaSalle Real Estate Debt Strategies, Alison Lambert CFO and COO of Martley Capital (and Chair of CREFC Europe), Emma Huepfl, Chair of the Bank of England’s Commercial Property Forum, and Jonathan Seal, CEO of Regal. Participants in the room were encouraged to actively engage in the conversation, which ultimately led to a lively discussion covering a number of topics.