Chancellor backs regulator in Activision row but warns of responsibilities to 'economic growth'

‘Growth duty’

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has come out in defence of the Competition and Markets Authority’s decision to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Speaking at the British Chamber of Commerce annual conference today (17 May), Hunt backed the CMA, noting that even the US regulator is "seeking to block" the merger between the two American companies, and the UK "took a similar view". His remarks come after the European Union greenlit Activision's takeover by Microsoft on 15 May. Hunt said: "I think one of the reasons why companies like Google and Microsoft want to invest in the UK is because we have independent regulators that are not controlled by politicians and therefore, they can be confident there will be a level playing field....