Closed consultation

Swifter and simpler competition redress, regulatory appeals and competition enforcement

From:: Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade and Department for Business and Trade
Published:: 17 July 2026

Summary

This consultation includes proposals to make opt-out collective actions, regulatory appeals and competition enforcement swifter and simpler.

This consultation ran from
4pm on 17 July 2026 to 11:45pm on 25 September 2026

Consultation description

This consultation seeks views on reform proposals to simplify and improve the efficiency of the opt-out collective actions, regulatory appeals, and competition enforcement regimes.

The consultation progresses the commitment made by the government to support economic growth by ensuring that competition enforcement (both public and private) and the regulatory appeals landscape are less complex, more efficient, and more effective. This is good for consumers, businesses, and the economy. Proposals relate to:

improvements to the opt-out collective actions regime, including: the bringing and financing of a claim, alternative dispute resolution and settlement and how the regime interacts with public enforcement. The proposed improvements build on responses to the call for evidence that ran between August and October 2025
the transfer of regulatory appeals currently heard by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to the Competition Appeal Tribunal, harmonisation of the appeal standard and eligibility criteria across sectors, and the costs associated with regulatory appeals
measures to make antitrust investigations faster and more efficient, enabling the CMA to address anti-competitive conduct more quickly while preserving procedural fairness

Documents