Vice President Joshua White Discusses the Interplay Between UK Merger Control and the “Pro-Growth Agenda”

December 10, 2025

Vice President Joshua White participated in the panel “Assessing the Interplay between Merger Control and the ‘Pro-Growth Agenda’” at the ThoughtLeaders4 Merger Control Forum 2025 in London. The session was moderated by Peter Harper (Eversheds Sutherland) and featured panellists Becket McGrath (Euclid Law), Francesca Sala (Oxera), Ronan Scanlan (Steptoe), and Alex Williams OBE (UK Department for Business and Trade). The discussion explored the evolving role of competition enforcement in the UK, focusing on how the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA’s) recent approach to merger control aligns with broader government ambitions for economic growth.

Mr. White began by proposing a re-examination of how “growth” is defined in this context, suggesting that policymakers look beyond foreign investment levels toward broader indicators of economic growth. Referencing the work of Nobel laureate Philippe Aghion, Mr. White discussed the relationship between competition levels and innovation, highlighting the role of the latter as a driver of economic growth.

Turning to merger control, and reflecting on the UK government’s strategic steer, Mr. White underscored the need for greater transparency around merger review outcomes emerging from the CMA’s briefing paper process – insights which are typically not made public. He noted that such transparency is increasingly important, given the growing complexity of markets and theories of harm, and added that visibility into the CMA’s evolving thinking and areas of focus could benefit investment and enhance merger outcome predictability. Mr. White additionally highlighted the importance of balancing efficiencies in merger review as a mechanism for incorporating industrial policy considerations in merger control.