MPs have approved Doug Gurr as fit to become the next permanent chair of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), but warned ministers that additional safeguards are needed to protect the regulator’s independence and address potential conflicts of interest.
In a report published on Thursday following a pre-appointment hearing earlier this week, the House of Commons Business and Trade Committee said it was satisfied that Mr Gurr has “the professional competence and independence required” to take on the role as defined by the Government. However, the committee stressed that serious concerns remain about the context of his appointment and the broader direction of competition policy.
Mr Gurr, a former senior executive at Amazon, was questioned extensively by MPs about his ability to act independently, particularly given the circumstances surrounding the removal of the previous chair amid pressure to align the watchdog more closely with the Government’s pro-growth agenda. Committee members made clear that the CMA must not prioritise investment or consolidation over consumer welfare, warning that growth cannot come at the expense of competition.
MPs also expressed unease about potential conflicts of interest arising from Gurr’s long and senior career at Amazon, one of the world’s largest technology companies and a business that could fall within the CMA’s new digital market regime. The committee suggested ministers consider whether he should recuse himself from any future decision about designating Amazon with Strategic Market Status under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.
The hearing also became a wider examination of the CMA’s recent performance. MPs noted that staff numbers at the regulator have almost doubled over the past decade, yet competitive pressures in the UK economy have not improved. They criticised what they described as slow market investigations during the cost-of-living crisis and weak enforcement action in certain high-profile cases.
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