| Share-based compensation (Tables)
 | 12 Months Ended | 
| Dec. 31, 2016 | 
|---|
| Summary of vesting information |  
		
			
		 
			
				| 
						Options granted in 2009: | 
						  | 
						100% on the third anniversary of the grant date |  
				| 
						  | 
						  | 
						  |  
				| 
						Options granted in 2011, 2012, 2013 and April 2014: | 
						  | 
						25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and 75% in annual installments over the following three years |  
				| 
						  | 
						  | 
						  |  
				| 
						Options granted in December 2014: | 
						  | 
						25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and 75% in monthly installments over the following three years | 
			 
		 | 
| Summary of share-based compensation expense included in the consolidated statements of operations |  
		
			The following table shows the total share-based compensation expense included in the consolidated statement of operations (thousands):
		 
			 
		 
			
		 
			
				| 
						  | 
						  | 
						Year endedDecember 31,
 2016
 | 
						  | 
						Six months endedDecember 31,
 2015
 | 
						  | 
						Year endedJune 30,
 2015
 | 
						  | 
						Year endedJune 30,
 2014
 | 
						  |  
				| 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  |  
				| 
						Research and development | 
						  | 
						$ | 4,185 | 
						  | 
						$ | 1,587 | 
						  | 
						$ | 5,426 | 
						  | 
						$ | 121 | 
						  |  
				| 
						General and administrative | 
						  | 4,636 | 
						  | 1,981 | 
						  | 1,652 | 
						  | 211 | 
						  |  
				| 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  |  
				| 
						  | 
						  | 
						$ | 8,821 | 
						  | 
						$ | 3,568 | 
						  | 
						$ | 7,078 | 
						  | 
						$ | 332 | 
						  |  
				| 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
			 
		 | 
| Summary of all stock option activity |  
		
			
		 
			
				| 
						  | 
						  | 
						Options | 
						  | 
						Weightedaverage
 exercise price
 per option
 | 
						  | 
						Averageremaining
 contractual
 term (years)
 | 
						  | 
						Aggregateintrinsic value
 (thousands)
 | 
						  |  
				| 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  |  
				| 
						Outstanding at January 1, 2016 | 
						  | 31,203,477 | 
						  | 
						£ | 0.41 | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  |  
				| 
						Changes during the period: | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  |  
				| 
						Granted | 
						  | 19,404,373 | 
						  | 
						£ | 0.89 | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  |  
				| 
						Exercised | 
						  | (63,192 | 
						) | 
						£ | 0.22 | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  |  
				| 
						Forfeited | 
						  | (1,307,368 | 
						) | 
						£ | 1.04 | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  |  
				| 
						Outstanding at December 31, 2016 | 
						  | 49,237,290 | 
						  | 
						£ | 0.58 | 
						  | 8.2 | 
						  | 
						$ | 8,205 | 
						  |  
				| 
						Exercisable at December 31, 2016 | 
						  | 17,167,747 | 
						  | 
						£ | 0.41 | 
						  | 7.5 | 
						  | 
						$ | 4,906 | 
						  | 
			 
		 | 
| Summary of information about stock options outstanding |  
		
			The following table summarizes information about stock options outstanding as of December 31, 2016:
		 
			 
		 
			
		 
			
				| 
						Outstanding | 
						  | 
						Exercisable | 
						  |  
				| 
						Exercise price | 
						  | 
						Total share options | 
						  | 
						Weighted-averageremaining
 contractual life
 | 
						  | 
						Weighted-averageexercise price
 | 
						  | 
						Total share options | 
						  | 
						Weighted-averageexercise price
 | 
						  |  
				| 
						£ | 
						0 – 0.25 | 
						  | 9,858,104 | 
						  | 6.6 | 
						  | 
						£ | 0.11 | 
						  | 6,482,204 | 
						  | 
						£ | 0.11 | 
						  |  
				| 
						0.26 – 0.50 | 
						  | 19,156,064 | 
						  | 8.1 | 
						  | 0.42 | 
						  | 8,975,893 | 
						  | 0.42 | 
						  |  
				| 
						0.51 – 0.75 | 
						  | 1,646,000 | 
						  | 9.9 | 
						  | 0.58 | 
						  | 
						— | 
						  | 
						— | 
						  |  
				| 
						0.76 – 1.00 | 
						  | 15,493,264 | 
						  | 9.5 | 
						  | 0.93 | 
						  | 559,049 | 
						  | 0.89 | 
						  |  
				| 
						1.01 – 1.50 | 
						  | 1,498,243 | 
						  | 9.4 | 
						  | 1.06 | 
						  | 
						— | 
						  | 
						— | 
						  |  
				| 
						1.51 – 2.00 | 
						  | 1,585,615 | 
						  | 8.4 | 
						  | 1.82 | 
						  | 1,150,601 | 
						  | 1.82 | 
						  |  
				| 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  |  
				| 
						Total | 
						  | 49,237,290 | 
						  | 8.2 | 
						  | 
						£ | 0.58 | 
						  | 17,167,747 | 
						  | 
						£ | 0.41 | 
						  |  
				| 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
			 
		 | 
| Summary of the assumptions used to estimate the fair values of the share options granted using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model |  
		
			
		 
			
				| 
						  | 
						  | 
						Year endedDecember 31,
 2016
 | 
						  | 
						Year endedJune 30,
 2015
 | 
						  | 
						Year endedJune 30,
 2014
 | 
						  |  
				| 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  | 
						  |  
				| 
						Expected term (years) | 
						  | 
						5 years | 
						  | 
						5 years | 
						  | 
						5 years | 
						  |  
				| 
						Expected volatility | 
						  | 
						68-73% | 
						  | 60% | 
						  | 60% | 
						  |  
				| 
						Risk free rate | 
						  | 
						0.17-1.07% | 
						  | 
						1.04-1.54% | 
						  | 1.73% | 
						  |  
				| 
						Expected dividend yield | 
						  | 0% | 
						  | 0% | 
						  | 0% | 
						  | 
			 
		 | 
| Non-executive director |  | 
| Summary of vesting information |  
		
			
		 
			
				| 
						Options granted to non-executive directors on May 11, 2015: | 
						  | 
						Immediately on grant date |  
				| 
						  | 
						  | 
						  |  
				| 
						Options granted to a non-executive director on June 23, 2016: | 
						  | 
						25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and 75% in monthly installments over the following two years |  
				| 
						  | 
						  | 
						  |  
				| 
						Options granted to non-executive directors on August 11, 2016: | 
						  | 
						100% on the first anniversary of the grant date |  
				| 
						  | 
						  | 
						  |  
				| 
						Options granted to non-executive directors on November 28, 2016: | 
						  | 
						25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and 75% in monthly installments over the following two years | 
			 
		 |