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ARTICLE · 20 MARCH 2025

Get DMCC Ready: CMA Publishes Direct Consumer Enforcement Guidance

Lewis Silkin
Lewis Silkin
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Lewis Silkin

Lewis Silkin

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The Competition and Markets Authority's new consumer enforcement powers are coming into effect on 6 April 2025. These powers give the CMA the ability to initiate and conduct its own investigations...

United KingdomConsumer Protection
Jen Dinmore
Jen Dinmore
Geraint Lloyd-Taylor
Geraint Lloyd-Taylor
Alex Meloy
Alex Meloy
Fleur Chenevix-Trench
Fleur Chenevix-Trench
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The Competition and Markets Authority's new consumer enforcement powers are coming into effect on 6 April 2025. These powers give the CMA the ability to initiate and conduct its own investigations, decide whether a company has breached consumer laws (without involving the courts), and unilaterally issue a financial penalty of up to 10% of annual global turnover.

Ahead of this, the CMA has published detailed guidance which covers both the CMA's general approach to the exercise of its new direct consumer enforcement powers and also its statement of policy in relation to the exercise of its powers to impose monetary penalties.

In particular, the guidance sets out:

  • The enforcement process the CMA will follow.

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