UK regulators say the O2-Three merger should be blocked – watchdogs in Brussels would be wise to steer clear just a month before the EU referendum.
Here’s a cause to inflame Eurosceptic passions: save our public-spirited regulators from the tyranny of judgments made by bureaucratic overlords in Brussels.
Well, OK, the furious debate over Three-owner CK Hutchison’s attempt to buy O2 hasn’t reached that stage yet. In fact, Alex Chisholm, chief executive of the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), went out of his way to praise the “timely, productive and meaningful interactions” his team has enjoyed with the European commission, which will decide whether the £10bn merger can proceed.
Related: UK regulator wants European commission to block Three/O2 deal