Dogs will break your heart and leave you bankrupt, but they’re worth every penny March 21, 2024 Vets are being accused of ripping off pet owners, but you can’t put a price on the love of a dog, says Andy Blackmore Vets have come under fire recently with accusations of price gouging. Having received over 56,000 complaints, the Competition and Markets Authority is now launching a formal investigation into the veterinary industry, [...]
Suez keen to buy back UK business ahead of Veolia competition ruling June 16, 2022 French waste and water firm Suez is gearing up to buy back its former UK business. The UK’s competition watchdog is set to make a judgement next month on whether rival Veolia can take over the arm. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had warned last month that the merger could result in council bills [...]
Shop ’till you drop: Christmas spending up despite rampant inflation December 20, 2022 Shopping habits die hard as Brits continue to spend across the board in the run-up to Christmas and the holiday season despite historic levels of inflation raising prices. Spending on essentials is up by an average of 43.5 per cent compared to the same time last year, with non-essential expenditure also rising by an average [...]
New boss pledges ‘even better’ Heathrow. But former chief’s legacy leaves more questions than answers. October 18, 2023 Heathrow's new boss pledged a "fresh start" for Europe's biggest airport this morning, as he takes charge for the first time.
Competition watchdog probes Google over distortion of digital advertising market May 26, 2022 The competition watchdog has launched a probe into whether Google has behaved illegally by limiting competition in the digital advertising tech market. The Competition and Market Authority (CMA) unveiled a second investigation into the tech giant, after scrutinising an agreement between Google and Meta. Google is a dominant player within advertising tech intermediation – referred [...]
Explainer: How Rishi Sunak is trying to strike a balance on AI regulation May 19, 2023 World leaders’ meetings like the G7, taking place in Japan right now, are not only about cringy photo ops and bilateral diplomatic statements. They’re also an opportunity for politicians to set out strategies and deliver messages to their foreign counterparts and their own domestic audience. Rishi Sunak has proven a sleek player on the foreign [...]
Music to Spotify’s ears: Watchdog says streaming intervention not needed November 29, 2022 The competition regulator said it will not intervene in the music streaming market, deeming the industry valuable to both artists and consumers. In its final report published this morning, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that consumers actually benefited from digitisation and competition between music streaming services. Prices for consumers have fallen by more [...]
High-flying lawyers and comms whizzkids: Meet the City types running for Parliament February 6, 2024 Meet the City workers packing it in for a run at election in this year's general election - and they're not all Tories
Google heads to court over billion pound competition row for Play Store September 1, 2022 Google will have to defend itself at trial over a £1bn consumer claim about Play Store, a competition judge has decided. A Competition Appeal Tribunal ruling this week found that consumer champion Liz Coll is authorised to bring an opt-out collective claim against the tech giant for alleged competition infringements. The Tribunal said that the size of the class allegedly harmed was [...]
Govt drags feet with new digital markets bill October 25, 2022 A new report by MPs on the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee has called on the Government to push forward with a draft Digital Markets Bill that would allow regulators to take a more proactive approach to curbing big tech dominance. The bill would enshrine the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) Digital Markets Unit (DMU) [...]