Competition and Markets Authority Chairman

Debate between Lord Lansley and Baroness Gustafsson

Monday 27th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Gustafsson (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord for his question, which I have broken down into four points that I hope to address. First, I thank him for his welcome; it is very much appreciated, and it is a pleasure to be here answering questions in front of noble Lords. Secondly, I do not accept the characterisation of us sacking the chair of the CMA; Marcus Bokkerink resigned as chair and the Government are committed to the operational independence of the CMA. Thirdly, on whether the CMA is going soft, especially regarding digital markets, the CMA has new powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act and is already using them fervently for investigations into Google and Apple. The Government are committed to the independence of the CMA and making sure that we create an industry that is open to free and fair competition.

[Lord Lansley (Con)]

My Lords, the newspapers all seemed to think it was relevant to cite the decision of the CMA in relation to Microsoft and Activision in the Government encouraging the chairman to step down. Does the Minister agree that, in standing up to Microsoft over Activision and the cloud gaming market, the CMA was doing what it ought to do, which is promoting and maintaining effective competition in cloud gaming services?

[Baroness Gustafsson (Lab)]

I agree that the role of the CMA is to make sure that it is providing fair, open and transparent competition within all industries. While I will not comment on the specifics of any individual case, I think the CMA in that example is doing its best to represent that competition. The Government will continue to stand by that; supporting the CMA’s operational independence, so that it can carry on doing that role as effectively as it can, is something that this Government prioritise.