Chair of competition watchdog steps down after Labour intervention
The chair of the competition watchdog has been forced to step down after an intervention by Labour ministers, as they try to send a pro-growth message to businesses gathered at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos.The business department confirmed that the Competition and Markets Authority chair, Marcus Bokkerink, was stepping down on Tuesday evening, just two years after being appointed.Most CMA chairs are expected to serve for up to five years.One government source said it was no coincidence that Bokkerink was pushed out days after the CMA was hauled into Downing Street for a meeting with the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds.The business department said that Reynolds had “accepted” Bokkerink’s resignation, and had appointed former Amazon UK boss Doug Gurr will as CMA chair in the interim “in a bid to boost growth and support the economy”.
The choice of the former Amazon boss comes as the CMA launches a series of investigations into technology companies under a new digital markets competition regime that came into force in the UK on 1 January 2025.It allows the UK authorities to issue “conduct requirements” to technology companies, several of which have achieved dominant market positions.The first investigation, announced this month, is into Google, with further probes into competition conditions set to be announced into other firms in the coming months.The government will set out plans for recruiting a new permanent chair “in the coming weeks”.In a statement released on Tuesday night, Reynolds said: “This government has a clear plan for change – to boost growth for businesses and communities across the UK.
As we’ve set out, we want to see regulators including the CMA supercharging the economy with pro-business decisions that will drive prosperity and growth, putting more money in people’s pockets.”The business department said that Reynolds had “accepted” Bokkerink’s resignation and thanked him for his work, including during the cost of living crisis.It added that the government would soon begin consulting on “new growth-focused strategic steer to the CMA”.It is understood that Bokkerink’s departure is meant to send a pro-growth signal to businesses, as Reeves and Reynolds attend Davos to meet global business leaders.The pair will use their trip to the Swiss ski resort to make a fresh push for new investment, by emphasising the UK’s political and economic stability and promoting the government as pro-business.
They are hosting a panel on Wednesday morning and Reeves is due to hold meetings with business leaders including the JPMorgan Chase chief executive, Jamie Dimon, the Goldman Sachs boss, David Solomon, and Jo Taylor, the president of giant Canadian pensions fund the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.The CMA was one of 17 regulators ordered to put forward proposals on how to ease the burden on businesses and help spur economic growth.Last week’s meeting was the first in a series of check-ins with regulators, in which ministers reviewed their plans and progress.The Labour government has been heaping pressure on UK watchdogs to do more to support the economy, amid accusations that their work has been a barrier to inward investment.The CMA was among regulators put on notice in October, when Keir Starmer used a speech at the government’s investment summit to promise that he would “rip out the bureaucracy that blocks investment” and ensure every regulator in the UK “takes growth as seriously as this room does”.
The watchdog was also publicly criticised in 2023 for initially blocking the takeover of the gaming developer Activision Blizzard by the US technology company Microsoft,CMA’s chief executive, Sarah Cardell, thanked Bokkerink for his work, saying he had “tirelessly championed consumers, competition and a level playing field for business, as well as being steadfastly committed to openness and stakeholder engagement across the UK”,Cardell added: “I welcome the appointment of Doug Gurr as the CMA’s new interim chair and look forward to working closely with him,”The business department said Bokkerink “will continue to make a contribution to public life in a new leadership role, the details of which will be announced in due course”,
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