VATREG40100 | Registration in respect of acquisitions from other Member States: what is an acquisition?
From HM Revenue & Customs · VAT Registration
The VAT Act 1994, Section 11 provides that for a transaction to be an acquisition it must comply with the following conditions:
the transaction is a supply of goods (including anything treated for the purposes of the Act as a supply of goods)
the transaction involves the removal of the goods from another Member State to the UK.