Regulation

Competition watchdog ‘effectively blocked’ from London expansion by government

The CMA faced lobbying from a government team to turn its focus away from London

The CMA was left with little choice but to take new office space outside of the City, a board paper seen by FN reveals
The CMA was left with little choice but to take new office space outside of the City, a board paper seen by FN reveals Photo: Getty Images

The UK government lobbied the Competition and Markets Authority to move out of London and take up new offices in the North instead, Financial News can reveal, as the regulator takes on greater responsibilities in the wake of Brexit.

According to a board paper disclosed to Financial News under the Freedom of Information Act, the competition watchdog's decision not to take more space in the City was driven in part by a government that had “effectively blocked” new premises in the capital.

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