Clifford Chance
UK Competition Reform: Enhanced Cartel Powers for New Regulator
15 March 2012
The UK Government has announced its plans for reform of the UK competition regime. The biggest change will be the merger of the Office of Fair Trading and the Competition Commission to create a new, powerful single competition authority. In addition, it will no longer be necessary to prove dishonesty to secure a criminal conviction for individuals involved in a cartel. Given that the OFT has not yet brought a single case before a jury, that amounts to widening the goalposts before there has been a single shot on goal.
