UK chancellor wags his finger at CMA after Activision acquisition block, urging it to 'understand its wider responsibilities'

Jeremy Hunt, UK chancellor of the exchequer, speaks at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Global Annual Conference 2023 in London, UK, on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey will deliver a keynote speech at the conference.
(Image credit: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The UK government sure does seem to be a bit antsy about the Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) decision to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Two days ago, a gaggle of MPs asked the market regulator if it had not, perhaps, been a bit shortsighted when it decided to stop the deal, and now Jeremy Hunt—the Chancellor of the Exchequer (equivalent to the US Treasury Secretary)—has stuck his oar in too (via The Telegraph).

To be fair, Hunt measured his words, emphasising the independence of the CMA and pointing out that the US Federal Trade Commission is trying to block the deal too. "When it comes to Microsoft," Hunt told the British Chambers of Commerce annual conference yesterday, "there was a merger between two American companies that the US regulator is seeking to block, and the UK regulator took the same view". He also said that he believed one of the reasons "companies like Microsoft and Google" want to invest in the UK is because it has "independent regulators that are not controlled by politicians".

But it was at that point the finger-wagging began. "I would not want to undermine [the CMA's independence] at all, but I do think it’s important all our regulators understand their wider responsibilities for economic growth". 

It's easy to read an implication in that statement: With senior figures like PM Rishi Sunak and Hunt himself hyping up the post-Brexit UK as "the next Silicon Valley," the government would probably rather the nation's antitrust regulator not get in the habit of vexing the world's tech titans, especially when the European Union goes and approves the deals the CMA rejects, prompting key business figures like Microsoft's Brad Smith to loudly declare that "the European Union is a more attractive place to start a business than the United Kingdom".

Hunt's statement echoes concerns voiced by MPs earlier this week, when CMA bosses were asked if they "consider the implications of [their] decisions … for the UK's international reputation as a place to do business". While it would be an overstatement to say the government and the CMA are at loggerheads over the decision, it certainly seems like MPs and cabinet members are concerned about the impact the block will have on corporations' willingness to do business in the UK, particularly given that the EU's acceptance of Microsoft's offered remedies has the UK looking like a black sheep in the international community right now.

It'll be interesting to see how and if this criticism (and the moves of other national regulators) impact the process of Microsoft and Activision's appeal of the CMA decision. In theory, that appeal is only meant to be about whether the CMA followed the proper decision-making procedure when it made its judgement—the actual merit of the decision itself isn't meant to be under consideration—but it's hard to imagine pressure from the government and other antitrust enforcers having no effect at all. It'll be a long time till we find out either way.

Joshua Wolens
News Writer

One of Josh's first memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer when he was much too young to be doing that, and he's been irreparably game-brained ever since. His writing has been featured in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He'll play pretty much anything, and has written far too much on everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed. His most profound loves are for CRPGs, immersive sims, and any game whose ambition outstrips its budget. He thinks you're all far too mean about Deus Ex: Invisible War.

Read more
knockout city, rumbleverse, and multiversus key art divided in thirds
UK government says it won't change the rules on publishers taking videogames offline after selling them: 'We have no plans to amend existing consumer law on digital obsolescence'
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 22: A view of Google Headquarters in Mountain View, California, United States on August 22, 2024.
Google being pushed to sell off Chrome is likely a good thing, but don't cheer on the decision just yet
Bill Gates speaks onstage for a special conversation during "What’s Next? The Future With Bill Gates"at The Paris Theater on September 26, 2024 in New York City.
Bill Gates says Elon Musk's 'populist stirring' around the world is 'insane s**t'
Google campus sign
Google asks Trump's DOJ to please, please, please reconsider parting it from Chrome
sniper elite 5 cover
Sniper Elite CEO reckons Swen Vincke is right to snarl at short-sighted publishers: 'You could argue that their business at senior level isn't making games… their business is managing their shareholders' perceptions'
Nvidia headquarters
Nvidia denounces Biden administration's 'rigged' and 'misguided' new AI chip export restrictions
Latest in Game Development
Sharon Tal Yguado speaking at the 2025 D.I.C.E. Summit.
'These kids do not care about romance': Game devs want to know what today's teens want, and surveys say sex and romance isn't it
Palworld early access
Palworld studio's first move as a publisher is to save a struggling indie dev: 'This is the energy I want to see driving games in 2025'
Yakuza/Like a Dragon creator Toshihiro Nagoshi says his studio's new game won't be that big after all: 'it's not modern to have similar experiences repeated over and over again'
A man with a sausage-shaped head
'Calm down!' says Facepunch Studios: Garry's Mod successor s&box is getting a fan-requested sandbox mode and an alternative to 'Sausage Men'
Hellboy Web of Wyrd
Devolver has a new label dedicated to making games based on comics, films, TV shows and 'cult heroes'
Garry's Mod screen - G-Man riding a balloon-festooned cart with his hands held above his head while a Counter-Strike guy chases him
Rust dev is bored of paying Unity '$500k a year' to fix its engine and promises that his Garry's Mod successor won't hoodwink devs with fees
Latest in News
MrBeast posing in front of a stack of cashing, promoting Beast Games season 2
Beast Games opens casting for season 2: MrBeast lost a ton of money on season 1 but apparently not enough that he won't do it again
Image for
Rise of the Ronin's PC troubles continue as players report disappearing saves on Steam
Former Treyarch studio co-head and Black Ops 3 director is heading up a new first-party PlayStation studio
Metro Exodus
'I want to raise this glass to our fans, to our community': 4A Games celebrates Metro 2033's 15th anniversary and hints at next Metro game
Assassin's Creed Shadows promo image
Ubisoft reportedly has an anti-harassment plan in place for Assassin's Creed Shadows developers
Avowed Kai holding out his hand toward camera while explaining something to the player.
Avowed's new patch just gave you 6 more talent points to muck around with, along with a heap of fixes and improvements