British Government
Marcus Bokkerink chairs the Competition and Markets Authority since 2022
The chairman of the UK’s competition watchdog was fired by government ministers who said the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had failed to convince them it was sufficiently focused on growth.
Government sources said that with the chancellor and state secretary for affairs at the World Economic Forum in Davos trying to drum up investment, the government wanted to send a signal that it was serious about growth.
The CMA recently delayed a merger between Vodafone and Three Mobile Networks, which was eventually approved.
Marcus Bokkerink, who has chaired the CMA since 2022, will be replaced on an interim basis by Doug Gurr, former boss of Amazon UK.
Mr Bokkerink and other regulators met with Chancellor Rachel Reeves last week to share their ideas on how to boost growth.
It is understood that the CMA’s submissions were considered disappointing.
The CMA’s primary responsibility is to ensure that consumers are well served by effective and fair competition.
The CMA has been contacted for comment.
