The UK Government announces proposals for reform of the private competition damages regime

As widely expected, earlier this week the Government announced proposals for reform of the private competition damages regime in the UK, proposing to increase the Competition Appeal Tribunal’s (CAT) power and introduce an opt-out “collective action” scheme before the CAT [1]. The proposed changes are unlikely to come into force until 2015, at the earliest. Do the proposals herald a US-style class action culture in the UK, as some commentators predict, or will the safeguards proposed by the Government lead to more moderate results? Government proposals in brief The Government’s proposals are contained in its response to the consultation on options for reform of private competition actions in the UK. The proposals seek to establish the CAT as the major venue for competition actions in