Communications and Digital Committee – Chair responds to Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill

The House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee will be holding oral evidence sessions on the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill, which the Government is publishing today.

The Committee has repeatedly called on the Government to bring forward this legislation to provide a pro-competition and pro-innovation regime that ensures UK businesses and consumers receive a fair deal.

Commenting on the Bill, Chair of the Committee Baroness Stowell of Beeston said:

“The new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill will be crucial in providing a fair deal for UK firms and consumers. Getting this legislation right should not be about bashing big tech, but ensuring digital markets provide a level playing field - and the opportunity for innovation to flourish and consumers to enjoy the benefits of greater choice. 

“We have been calling for this legislation for a long time because the concentration of power amongst a small number of big tech firms isn’t good for British business. The UK’s approach is considered more flexible than that of the EU and others, who are ahead of us in regulating this space. It is good news that the Bill has now arrived and we can get on with scrutinising it in detail. 

“My Committee will be holding a series of public evidence sessions in the near future.”