In a City AM article, recognising the huge benefits of the regime for businesses and consumers across the UK, Mordaunt wrote: “This will help ensure fair dealing for smaller businesses that have to use services like Google, Amazon and Facebook to reach their customers. It will also create benefits for users by allowing greater choice of how and where they access different services. Improved competition can also reduce prices for consumers.”

Mourdant, who is facing stiff competition from Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss to be the UK’s next Prime Minister, also promised to create a news bargaining code along the lines of what has been introduced in Australia. Such a code would mean that major platforms would be required to “reach a deal with news publishers to compensate them for their content being freely distributed across those services”. Should agreements not be reached, they would be settled through independent arbitration.

If given the keys to Number 10, the MP also stated she would create a a single Digital Department that would bring together teams that work across government on issues like online safety, digital competition, cyber security and data privacy. Mordaunt has also committed to supporting the Online Safety Bill.

The PPA welcomes this commitment to bringing forward the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill, and will be monitoring future hustings debates to better understand candidates’ positions on digital competition.