Dive into the chocolate river of the latest Wonka movie, where Timothée Chalamet dons the iconic top hat, and find yourself not just in a world of pure imagination but in the exciting world of regulatory law!

Recently, the UK’s competition regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been using its merger control powers to block a number of high-profile deals. This represents a shift in approach for the regulator, which historically has been more inclined to approve mergers with conditions attached.

Over a year into the new National Security and Investments regime, the UK Government has reviewed hundereds of mandatory notifications and has called in a significant number of transactions for detailed scrutiny. It has shown it is fully prepared to use its powers under the new NSI Act by: blocking 3 deals; requiring 2 transactions to be unwound; and imposing conditions in respect of a further 10 transactions.

On April 27th, 2021, the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority launched its new Digital Markets Unit (DMU), which aims to promote competition and innovation in digital markets by overseeing the behavior of tech giants such as Google and Facebook, who have been accused of abusing their dominant market positions.