In a statement shared with Capacity, Oliver Bethell, senior director for competition at Google said: “Today the CMA designated Google Search with Strategic Market Status under the UK’s new digital markets regime. Next, we will likely face new rules and regulations on how Search works.”
Bethell emphasised that Google’s search tools “contribute billions of pounds a year to the UK economy, £118 billion in 2023 alone,” adding that “UK businesses and consumers have been amongst the first to benefit from Google’s innovations, often months before their European counterparts.”
Google cautioned that the CMA’s potential interventions could lead to “unduly onerous regulations,” warning that similar measures in other markets had cost businesses “an estimated €114 billion.”
“Many of the ideas for interventions that have been raised in this process would inhibit UK innovation and growth, potentially slowing product launches at a time of profound AI-based innovation,” Bethell said. “Others pose direct harm to businesses, with some warning that they may be forced to raise prices for customers.”
The CMA’s designation marks the first use of new powers granted under the UK’s Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, enabling regulators to impose conduct requirements, enforce data access rules, and levy fines for non-compliance.
The authority argues the move is necessary to ensure fair competition in online search, citing Google’s dominant market share and influence over how users access information and businesses reach audiences.
Google said it “supports the CMA’s goal to ensure the UK’s competition framework mirrors the best interests of UK consumers and businesses,” but stressed the importance of “outcomes that reflect such ambitions in the crucial months ahead.”
The CMA is expected to consult further before setting out detailed conduct requirements for Google Search in 2026.
RELATED STORIES
Cloud market shake-up: CMA’s provisional findings ignite industry debate
