CMA draft Annual Plan launches the first phase of its new Strategy for 2026 to 2029

The CMA has today launched a consultation on its priorities for 2026 to 2027 in the first detailed implementation plan under its new 2026 to 2029 Strategy.

The draft Annual Plan centres on promoting competition and protecting consumers with a clear end goal in mind: to drive economic growth and improve household prosperity. This is in keeping with the government's Strategic Steer to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which provides important transparency over the policy priorities it can help advance whilst explicitly acknowledging its statutory independence.

The Annual Plan priorities build on the 5 core objectives in the CMA's Strategy, which reflect a combination of continuity and change for the organisation. These are: being a strong advocate for, and independent enforcer of, effective competition; championing consumers; dialling up the CMA's role as an enabler of competition through advice and recommendations to government; doubling down on its contribution to a UK regulatory landscape that instils business confidence and acts as a magnet for investment; and focusing relentlessly on delivering tangible results for the UK.

The CMA's transformational 4Ps framework – pace, predictability, proportionality and process – remains a focus for the coming year to help reduce the burden on business and further strengthen the business and investor confidence that is vital for economic growth.

Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, said:

Our strategy has a clear focus on driving economic growth and improving household prosperity. That means championing consumers will continue to be at the heart of everything we do this year, as we work to put money back in people's pockets in the face of cost of living pressures. At the same time, we will dial up our role as an enabler of competition to support the government's growth mission.

Stakeholders should expect our approach to be characterised by the purposeful and pragmatic mindset outlined in our strategy – rooted in real-world context and prepared to do things differently to achieve the best outcomes for the UK.

Doug Gurr, Chair of the CMA, said:

We will build on the strong track record of change delivered last year, including continued work under our 4Ps – embedding pace, predictability, proportionality and process across the organisation.

We'll make sure we're accountable for our progress – staying transparent about how we are doing, open to feedback on how we can improve, and proactive in identifying opportunities to do things better.

We welcome feedback on our Annual Plan and we're grateful to those who take the time to share their views with us.

The priorities for 2026 to 2027 cover key areas of the CMA's core work and include:

• Consumer protection: Promoting trust and confidence through robust consumer protection, so people can participate actively in the economy and businesses can compete on a level playing field. Progressing first investigations on price transparency and misleading online choice architecture. Maintaining a strategic approach to implementing the new consumer regime – prioritising areas of essential spend and egregious practices where the law is clear, while driving behavioural change in businesses and sectors using advisory letters and broader engagement.

The CMA's new Consumer Forum will bring together key organisations representing the voices of UK consumers to help keep these perspectives at the heart of its work.

• Markets: Acting in consumer facing markets, including implementing veterinary services remedies. Completing the civil engineering market study. Supporting the government's Industrial Strategy, helping to unlock barriers to growth. Work on private dentistry is also expected.

• Advocacy: Ensuring a high uptake of CMA recommendations to government. Identifying opportunities to remove anti‑competitive regulation that acts as a barrier to growth. Advising on how policy can help UK firms scale from challengers into world leaders. Stepping up work with government on public procurement (including tackling illegal bid-rigging). Delivering new insights from the CMA Microeconomics Unit.

• Competition enforcement: Building on a strong track record of enforcement, including sizeable fines and director disqualifications, as well as millions of pounds secured through commitments. Continuing to target anticompetitive activity, including practices that prevent innovative firms from entering and scaling. Prioritising action on public procurement, including investing in detection tools (like AI and data analytics) to scan for bid-rigging. Enabling pro-growth collaboration in priority sectors. Deterring algorithmic price collusion.

• Digital markets competition regime: Progressing work on Search and Mobile. In Search, focusing on greater choice and control, including through choice screens and publisher controls. In Mobile, promoting greater competition, certainty and confidence for app developers and ensuring firms, such as digital wallet providers, have access to the functionality they need to innovate and compete. In considering any further SMS investigation launches, maintaining a focus on whether the CMA is best placed to act and ensuring ample opportunity for stakeholders to engage.

• Merger control: Continuing to make timely, robust and independent decisions, based on objective scrutiny of the evidence and building on ambitious KPIs to streamline and speed up the pre-notification and phase 1 process. Applying merger control in a highly targeted way. Remaining a strong advocate for effective competition across the UK economy. Focusing on implementing new remedies guidance to provide more clarity to merging businesses. Reviewing the CMA's approach to efficiencies and working with government on phase 2 decision making reforms.

• OIM and SAU: Delivering rigorous, proportionate work through these advisory functions – setting clear expectations through guidance and deepening engagement with stakeholders and governments. Delivering the first statutory review of the UK's Subsidy Control regime and through the Office for the Internal Market (OIM), increasing engagement in intergovernmental working groups via the Common Frameworks Programme.

The CMA is inviting responses to the consultation on the draft Annual Plan, which will remain open until 18 February 2026.

The final version of the Annual Plan will be published in March 2026.