United Kingdom: Antitrust/Competition Law

The UK Government has published its formal response to the consultation on updates to the Notifiable Acquisition Regulations (NARs) under the National Security and Investment Act 2021 (NSI Act).

From Autumn 2026, subscription businesses will need to operate under significantly stricter rules about how they sign customers up, remind them before renewals and let them cancel.

The Competition Appeal Tribunal (the CAT) has issued its judgment in the case of Bristol Airport v Welsh Ministers [2026] CAT 30 (Bristol Airport).

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.

Global cartel fines totaled USD3.3 billion in 2025. This was a significant increase on 2024 (USD602.5 million) and 2023 (USD1.9bn) and represented the highest annual total since 2021 (USD4.0bn).

The report discusses the significant increase in fines, use and development of investigative tools, the impact of digital market scrutiny...

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

After 11.00pm on Brexit day (i.e. 29 March 2019 unless parliament and the EU decides otherwise), EU law will stop applying in the UK.