Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) work to promote competition for the benefit of consumers, both within and outside the UK. Their aim is to make markets work well for consumers, businesses and the economy. 

They came into being on 1 April 2014 and took over many of the functions of the Competition Commission (CC) and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

They are responsible for:

• investigating mergers which could restrict competition 
• conducting market studies and investigations in markets where there may be competition and consumer problems 
• investigating where there may be breaches of UK or EU prohibitions against anti-competitive agreements and abuses of dominant positions 
• bringing criminal proceedings against individuals who commit the cartel offence   
• enforcing consumer protection legislation to tackle practices and market conditions that make it difficult for consumers to exercise choice 
• co-operating with sector regulators and encouraging them to use their competition powers  
• considering regulatory references and appeals 

They work in partnership with other a range of organisations in the UK and internationally.

In the UK these include:    

• Trading Standards  
• Citizens Advice and Citizens’ Advice Scotland   
• business groups  
• sector regulators   
• other government departments   
• fellow competition and consumer bodies across the world

Report issues to the CMA

Please use this form to report any issues relating to a market not working well, unfair terms in a contract, or any issues related to poor competition.