New government rules set out revised UK merger control thresholds that broaden the scope for the Secretary of State to intervene in acquisitions of companies which develop certain types of military technology, computer hardware and quantum technology.
The changes also apply to the Competition and Market Authority’s (CMA) merger investigations in those fields. Following a consultation, the CMA is now publishing guidance on its approach to mergers that fall under the new rules.
While there are likely to be more transactions in the 3 sectors that will technically come under the jurisdiction of the CMA, it does not expect to change how it will assess mergers within these sectors from a competition perspective.