‘Deregulation is essential’: Starmer vows to slash red tape in bid for growth January 29, 2025 Keir Starmer vowed to deregulate Britain and cut through “thickets of red tape” today as he tried to reboot his government’s handling of the economy following months of anaemic growth and criticism from business. In an article for the Times, the Prime Minister wrote “deregulation is essential” and warned investors were shunning the UK due [...]
Pets at Home: Revenue dips but veterinary arm shows double-digit growth January 28, 2025 Animal care retailer Pets at Home has reported a slight dip in profit due to lower retail revenue, although vet revenue has soared. The FTSE-listed company, which offers both pet purchases and vet care, told markets that revenue fell 0.2 per cent to £361.6m in the 12 weeks to January 2. Retail revenue fell 2.8 [...]
Glaring contradiction at heart of government growth agenda January 28, 2025 In the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act of 2013 (stay with me) the Competition Commission and the Office of Fair Trading were abolished, and in their place emerged the Competition and Markets Authority. The 2013 Act enshrined the regulator’s remit and responsibilities, with a hefty focus on protecting consumers. On the CMA’s website, they summarise [...]
CMA to “brainstorm” growth ideas with business groups as pressure mounts January 27, 2025 The competition watchdog is set to be grilled by some of the UK’s biggest business bodies tomorrow as it looks to shore up confidence following the ousting of its chair by ministers last week. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which has faced anger from both the government and private sector over what has been [...]
Bigger airports will get growth off the ground January 27, 2025 Anyone who believes in growth should applaud rumours that Rachel Reeves will allow London’s airports to expand, says Jasper Ostle Rachel Reeves is rumoured to be throwing her authority behind the expansion of Britain’s airports, particularly Heathrow, Luton and Gatwick. It’s a courageous effort to accelerate necessary development: she will face opposition from colleagues, local [...]
Google cracks down on fake reviews with new CMA agreement January 24, 2025 Google has agreed to take stronger actions against fake reviews in the UK, committing to improve fraudulent activity detection and sanction those involved in manipulating ratings. This comes after an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) raised concerns that Google wasn’t doing enough to tackle the issue. CMA’s chief executive Sarah Cardell said: [...]
Lawyers raise questions as Labour muscles in on legal rulings January 24, 2025 The government plans to intervene in several legal matters, including motor finance case and judicial review challenges, in a move that has some lawyers raising an eyebrow.
CMA begins redundancy programme after overshooting budget January 23, 2025 The competition watchdog is planning to slash its head count by around ten per cent after overshooting its budget last year, piling fresh pressure on the body following the sudden exit of its chair this week. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which has faced public anger from the Prime minister and Chancellor over its [...]
‘It’s a clear message’: Reeves’ CMA scalp fires warning to regulators January 23, 2025 The government has sent a “clear message” to UK regulators by ousting the chair of competition watchdog, in what lawyers described as the “most overtly political” regulatory intervention of recent years. Marcus Bokkerink, who joined the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in 2022, was forced out of his role due to a “different approach” on [...]
UK economy: Does Labour’s economic hotchpotchism matter? January 21, 2025 Although gilt jitters have eased, the embattled Chancellor now faces a new and far more serious criticism.