Law360, London: After a string of setbacks, a victory for millions of Apple customers in a collective action over App Store fees is a strong signal that the UK class action regime can deliver for customers, lawyers say.

Energy analysis: On 23 July 2025, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), Ofgem, and the National Energy System Operator (NESO) jointly launched the Clean Flexibility Roadmap (Roadmap). For the first time, all three principal public bodies have set out a unified, actionable strategy to deliver a smarter, more flexible, and consumer-focused energy system. The Roadmap sets out how flexibility can support the UK’s clean power ambitions for 2030 and net-zero by 2050, with a focus on market reform, system planning, supply chain resilience, and international cooperation. The Energy team of CMS considers the matter.

MLex: UK-based clearinghouses will be able to access the EU market until June 2028 under a decision adopted on 31 January 2025 by the European Commission. The decision extends the equivalence regime for UK central counterparties (CCPs), which was initially adopted in 2020 and was set to expire in June 2025. It said the decision 'will ensure EU financial stability in the short term and provide clarity to EU financial market participants' ahead of market infrastructure rules that contain measures to improve 'the attractiveness and competitiveness' of EU clearing markets.

Law360: Britain's competition enforcer indicated on 8 July 2024 that it will not challenge Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc's planned US$3.1bn application for Swedish biotech firm Olink Holding AB after the agency launched an initial investigation of the deal earlier this year.

MLex: The British Equity Collecting Society (BECS) has exercised an opt-out for its audiovisual performers from the EU’s text and data mining exception, part of the EU’s Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market. BECS says AI developers have used the recorded works of its members to train models, infringing performers’ rights in the UK and EU. The opt-out is intended to assert that the performers reserve exclusive rights to their performances and that AI developers must seek explicit permission.

The below tracks ongoing appeals of CMA decisions in competition investigations to CAT and the appeal courts. For details on completed appeals, see UK merger appeals—closed cases tracker, UK behavioural competition appeals—closed cases tracker and UK market investigations appeals—closed cases tracker. NOTE—completed

This summarises ongoing and completed director disqualification undertakings and orders issued by the CMA since 2016. Ongoing cases seeking director disqualifications Case Individual Undertaking or order Length Decision Liothyronine tablets (50395) Mr John Beighton Director disqualification order To be confirmed CMA announces it intends to issue disqualification proceedings in the High Court—29/07/2026• Case page Completed cases 2024 Case Individual Undertaking or order Length Decision Prochlorpezarine tablets (50511-2) Mr Pritesh Sonpal Director disqualification order N/A CMA confirms it is no longer pursuing proceedings; asks High Court to dismiss the application—12/09/2024Proceedings issued before the High Court—17/09/2022• Case page Prochlorpezarine tablets (50511-2) Mr Peter Butterfield Director disqualification order N/A CMA confirms it is no longer pursuing proceedings; asks High Court to dismiss the application—12/09/2024Proceedings issued before the High Court—17/09/2022• Case page Prochlorpezarine tablets (50511-2) Mr John Dawson Director disqualification order N/A CMA confirms it is no longer pursuing proceedings; asks High Court to dismiss the application—12/09/2024Proceedings issued before the High Court—17/09/2022• Case page Prochlorpezarine tablets (50511-2) Mr Mark Cresswell Director disqualification order N/A CMA confirms it is no longer pursuing

This Practice Note is an archived summary of the key legal developments that have impacted UK competition law between 2017 and 2026. 2026 General Title Body Details Developments 12 new experts to join the CMA’s inquiry panel CMA Government appoints 12 new experts to join the CMA’s inquiry panel • Press release published—01/09/2026 Practice Direction 2/2026 (Disclosure — Management of Confidential Information) CAT CAT publishes Practice Direction 2/2026 relating to the management of confidential information in the context of disclosure • Practice Direction published—10/08/2026 Transparency and disclosure: updating our general guidance CMA Consultation on proposed updates to its guidance on transparency and disclosure (CMA6) and on CMA’s intention to withdraw the guidance document ‘Chairman's Guidance on Disclosure of Information in Merger Inquiries, Market Investigations and Reviews of Undertakings and Orders accepted or made under the Enterprise Act 2002 and Fair Trading Act 1973’ (CC7) • Guidance published —23/07/2026• CMA publishes response—23/07/2026• Consultation launched—24/04/2026 Ministerial Appointments: July 2026 Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street Following the government reshuffle, the Department for Business and Trade has been renamed the Department for Business, Innovation,

This Practice Note provides a quick guide to UK competition law for commercial agreements. It gives an overview of the core aspects of the legal framework, with introductory sections on the key types of commercial agreements for competition law purposes and an outline of the rules applicable to each of them. It is intended to set the scene and raise awareness of what might need to be considered in more detail. It links out to other Practice Notes and Checklists for the reader to find further information on any given topic. This Practice Note focuses on anti-competitive agreements under Chapter I of the Competition Act 1998 (CA 1998). It does not cover other aspects of UK competition law such as abuse of dominance under Chapter II of the CA 1998 or merger control. Note that Chapter I of the CA 1998 applies to written agreements but also to much looser forms of arrangement. It is assumed in this Practice Note that the reader is reviewing a full, written, commercial agreement and wants to understand

Land agreements are not an area that most people would associate with competition law issues. However, care is needed to ensure that no such concerns arise. A land agreement is one which creates, alters, transfers or terminates an interest in land. Examples of land agreements include: • an agreement for the sale of the freehold • a lease agreement • assignments of leasehold interests • agreements relating to easements • licences, and • in Scotland, interests under a lease and other heritable rights in or over land, such as heritable securities Land agreements were traditionally excluded from the UK prohibition on anti-competitive agreements under section 2 of the Competition Act 1998 (the Chapter I prohibition). However, during the Competition Commission's groceries market investigation, concerns arose as to the use by grocery retailers of restrictive covenants to prevent land being developed as a competing grocery store. In effect, this practice created a barrier to entry. The UK government therefore decided to bring all land agreements within the full scope of competition law, including those agreements

UK competition law regulates anti-competitive conduct, merger control and ensures markets are competitive. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is the principal UK competition authority. The CMA was formed following the merger of the OFT and the Competition Commission. It assumed responsibility for enforcing competition law in the UK on 1 April 2014. UK competition law The competition law powers of the CMA and other concurrent competition authorities are: • to enforce the prohibition on anti-competitive agreements and the prohibition on abusing a dominant position (see further, Chapter I prohibition and Chapter II prohibition) • to bring criminal prosecutions against individuals responsible for implementing hardcore cartels (see further, The UK criminal cartel offence) • to seek director disqualification orders against any directors involved in competition law breaches (see further, Director disqualification) • to investigate mergers in the UK and block or seek remedies for those that result in a substantial lessening of competition (see further, UK merger control—overview), and • launch investigations into any industries to ensure markets are competitive and seek remedies for those where there is

This Practice Note is a horizon scanner tracking key future developments in UK competition law. It provides details of key dates for your diary (including forecast dates where available), relevant commentary and links to case trackers. The following areas are covered: • General • Antitrust • Merger control • Market reviews, studies and investigations • Subsidy control • Private actions • Sector regulation • Brexit • Key case appeals This horizon scanner does not cover past developments. For details of past developments in UK competition law, see Practice Note: UK competition law—completed legislation and policy tracker. For developments relating to specific UK competition law topics, see Practice Notes: • UK block exemptions revision—tracker • National Security and Investment Bill—progress tracker • Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill—progress tracker • UK Digital Markets Competition regime—progress tracker For developments in EU competition law, see Practice Notes: EU competition law—legislation and policy tracker and EU competition law—completed legislation and policy tracker. General What’s happening? When? What’s the impact? Find out more Swifter and simpler competition redress, regulatory appeals and competition enforcementDepartment