The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (Commencement No. 1 and Savings and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2024 (SI 2024/1226) have been published.  They bring the digital markets and competition sections of the Act (that were not already in force from Royal Assent) into force on 1 January 2025.

It is likely that the CMA will start the formal process of designating firms as having Strategic Market Status early in 2025. Firms with SMS will be required to comply with special rules on how they may conduct themselves as well as being under a duty to report prospective merger activity to the CMA.

Revised merger thresholds will apply for deals that have not completed or for which the Competition and Markets Authority has not opened an investigation by 31 December 2024.

The Regulations also provide for certain other measures to come into force.  These include the CMA’s powers to gather information about how competition is working in the motor fuel industry and provisions about how the CMA can assist overseas competition and consumer agencies in their investigations.

In April 2025, the government expects to commence Part 3 of the Act, which contains the consumer enforcement regimes, and Part 4, Chapter 1, which replaces the Consumer Protection From Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.  The rules about subscriptions are due to come into force in the spring of 2026.