The Secretary of State told a Policy Exchange think tank event that the Bill ‘is certainly alive and kicking’ but could not provide an exact date. This follows a commitment by Prime Minister Liz Truss during the Conservative leadership contest that the legislation would be prioritised.

As well as rebalancing the relationship between large tech platforms and specialist media businesses, a fully empowered Digital Markets Unit (DMU) will unleash innovation and competition across the UK’s digital economy, supporting thousands of small businesses and millions of consumers.

A failure to bring forward the legislation will not only allow big tech’s anticompetitive practices to persist, but also risks the UK falling behind other jurisdictions. Further, the economic downturn presents a key opportunity for platforms to acquire companies at reduced prices, further entrenching their market power and potentially reducing the efficacy of regulation. This makes swift empowerment of the DMU all the more vital, and the PPA continues to call on government to bring forward the necessary legislation at the earliest possible opportunity.