Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)

UK competition watchdog: investigates anti-competitive conduct, mergers, and unfair consumer practices.

This page covers UK-wide law. Where local procedure differs (e.g. courts or tribunals), this is noted in the relevant section.

Overview

The Competition and Markets Authority is the UK's principal competition and consumer protection regulator. It enforces the Competition Act 1998 (Chapter I and II prohibitions), reviews mergers, conducts market investigations, and (under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024) directly enforces consumer protection law with civil penalty powers.

What it handles

Cartel and bid-rigging investigations
Abuse of a dominant position
Merger reviews above thresholds
Market studies and investigations
Consumer protection enforcement (under DMCCA 2024)

Official sources

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/competition-and-markets-authority

Last reviewed: 2026-05-21. This is legal information, not legal advice.