Oxera responds to proposed changes to the UK’s competition and regulatory appeals frameworks
In July 2026, the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST), then known as the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), launched a consultation on proposed reforms aimed at streamlining the UK’s competition redress, enforcement and regulatory appeals arrangements.1
Oxera provides economic advice to clients in relation to many of these processes. While we support some of the principles behind the proposed changes, our experience as economic experts suggests that some aspects of the current regime may not be fully reflected in the proposals, or that the changes could lead to unintended consequences.
In our response, we consider BIST’s questions in relation to:
- proposed changes to the certification standard for opt-out collective actions;
- proposals on alternative forms of redress scheme where breaches of competition law have taken place;
- the interaction of private litigation with public enforcement; and
- proposed changes to the regulatory appeals framework.
1 DBT (2026), ‘Swifter and Simpler Competition Redress, Regulatory Appeals and Competition Enforcement’, 17 July.
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Dr Gunnar Niels
Managing PartnerContributors
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- Antitrust
- Antitrust Damages
- Collective and Class Actions
- Public Policy and Impact Assessment
- Regulation
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