Economic growth: The role of competition policy and the CMA

Ian Giles and Richard Whish KC discuss the UK government’s economic growth mission and how this is impacting UK competition policy.  The Chair of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) was replaced in January 2025 following concerns the CMA was not doing to support the government’s growth agenda, and the CMA has since announced a number of initiatives and reforms to help drive growth, investment and business confidence.

The video discusses these changes and the relevant background and context.  This includes discussion of additional powers the CMA has recently gained under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, the CMA’s new “4Ps” framework which the CMA is embedding across all areas of its work, and several developments regarding the UK merger control regime, including the CMA’s new mergers charter and its review of its approach to merger remedies, and potential changes to the share of supply and material influence tests.