United Kingdom: Antitrust/Competition Law

In the King’s Speech, which set out the government’s legislative agenda for the upcoming parliamentary session, the government announced legislation to tackle late payments and reform the competition regime, among other proposals. The Background Briefing Notes contain more detail on the proposals.

European competition regulators are simultaneously expanding their enforcement reach over below-threshold transactions and minority shareholdings while consulting on more flexible approaches to merger benefits and efficiencies. This paradox reflects tensions between protecting smaller innovators and enabling European companies to achieve global scale through consolidation, fundamentally altering the risk calculus for dealmakers navigating modern merger control.

The EU is increasingly concerned about its declining industrial competitiveness and threats to economic security. The Draghi and Letta reports stressed the seriousness of the challenges and implementation of their recommendations was made a cornerstone of the Commission’s mission statements and is regularly referred to in subsequent work programmes.

The strict criteria laid down in the EU Court of Justice's (CJEU) landmark Bronner judgment have often been deployed by dominant firms as a "shield" when facing accusations of acting abusively by blocking competitors from using or accessing their assets.

Freight transport M&A showed signs of recovery in Q1 2026, with deal volume rising approximately 5% and capital concentrating in larger strategic transactions. North American activity surged back to pre-Liberation Day levels, while geopolitical risks and structural oversupply continued to reshape buyer strategies and underwriting models across the sector.

Over the past two decades, the value of sports franchises and related assets has skyrocketed, with rapid revenue growth across various commercial streams including the more traditional broadcasting and sponsorship (both now of course more global than ever), to new commercial tie ups and off field year round monetisation of stadia. While the skyrocketing valuations have prompted some commentators to argue that we could be witnessing the formation of a "sports bubble", this does not seem correct to us.

The UK Competition and Markets Authority has exercised its new enforcement powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 for the first time, imposing a £4.2 million penalty on The AA for drip pricing practices.

The Competition and Markets Authority has issued its first infringement decision under the UK's new consumer enforcement regime, fining the AA £4.2 million for misleading pricing practices and requiring substantial consumer refunds. This landmark case signals a fundamental shift in UK consumer protection enforcement, with businesses now facing significantly tougher penalties including fines up to 10% of turnover and mandatory consumer redress schemes.

Merger Control Comparative Guide for the jurisdiction of UK, check out our comparative guides section to compare across multiple countries