Brexit and Competition Law: Future Directions of Domestic Enforcement

Brexit – the UK’s exit from the European Union – brings unprecedented challenges and opportunities of historic magnitude across a raft of legal and policy fields. One of these fields is competition law. These challenges and opportunities deserve careful assessment – whatever shape the outcome of the detachment process might eventually take – in order to prepare for an increasingly uncertain future ahead. This article considers and analyses the future directions for UK domestic competition law enforcement in light of Brexit. The article addresses a range of issues, including: the likelihood of significant post-Brexit reform; the government’s commitment to competition in local markets; the relevance of industrial policy; the issue of regulation; and aspects of institutional structure of the UK competition law regime. The article will also consider changes to UK competition law which currently appear on the horizon. Brexit, UK competition law, Domestic enforcement, Competition and Markets Authority