Should I get Surge protection in new consumer unit

18th edition introduced surge protection and there is a way of determining whether you need it. There's a section in the Regs on how to decide. If you are in an urban location its unlikely you would need it. In a rural area it is probable you would. It adds to the price of the CU.

It isn’t yet a regulation that you have surge protection and it will be more expensive if you have it installed

It depends what you are trying to protect from a potential surge. If you have a lot of computer/IT equipment running or very expensive electrical equipment/smart devices and home hubs then for the sake of an extra £40 on top of the price of the consumer unit i would just go with it. Its not yet a regulation as yet but it is definitely going to be sooner or later. There are no disadvantages to it other than the additional cost

It is a mis-conception that a surge would only affect it/computer equipment. If you think about it every piece of electrical equipment has a microprocessor in it, be it a fridge, freezer, washing machine, radio, hifi, mobile phones, speakers, TV, games machines and so the list goes on. Add up the cost to replace all of these and it makes sense to be protected.