LATEST NEWS
CMA publishes PR24 final determinations for appealing companies
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published a summary of its PR24 final determinations for the five companies that appealed Ofwat’s PR24 determination. Overall, the CMA awarded the appellant companies £463m of additional revenues, relative to those set by Ofwat. Key factors contributing to this were:
– An increased cost of capital from 4.03% to 4.20% (appointee, CPIH-real)
– £289m in additional enhancement costs
– A 0.3 percentage-point reduction in the frontier shift efficiency challenge
Economic Insight advised Wessex Water during the redetermination process, helping them secure significant gains in relation to enhancement expenditure. In addition, Economic Insight supported all five appellants on frontier shift, where we secured a landmark win for the industry, likely with wider implications for other regulated sectors.
More information on the CMA’s summary of its final determinations can be found here
CMA consumer protection and greenwashing: practical guide for brands
Economic Insight, in partnership with Mishcon de Reya, has published a practical guide to help retail businesses navigate the CMA’s evolving consumer protection and greenwashing rules.
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA) gives the CMA direct consumer enforcement powers, including the ability to fine companies up to 10% of global turnover for consumer law infringements.
Compliance with the CMA’s rules requires a clear understanding of what information consumers rely on when making transactional decisions – and how that information can be presented clearly, accurately and at the right time.
Our guide focuses on the practical questions businesses should be asking now.
Quantifying damages in FSMA litigations
Sam Williams has published an article in Commercial Dispute Resolution providing his reflections on the Autonomy judgment and the key lessons for quantifying damages.
Economic Insight event on the future regulatory model for water
Last year, the Independent Water Commission published its final report on the water sector, following the most detailed review of the industry since privatisation. The report set out a series of recommendations for government to consider.
Shortly ahead of the corresponding white paper’s publication, Economic Insight hosted an event on the future regulatory model for water, attended by senior executives from water companies, institutional investors, and other key stakeholders.
The February 2026 issue of the UK Water Report highlights the key themes from the discussion, featuring views from Sam Williams (Economic Insight co-founder) and Lord Moynihan (speaking in a personal capacity).
Response to Cunliffe review
We have responded to the recently launched Cunliffe review, which is expected to be the largest review of the water industry in England and Wales since privatisation. We set out our vision for a future regulatory model for the industry, recommending that the existing model should be replaced by one that delivers:
– A longer term approach that ensures appropriate investment and asset maintenance.
– Consistency and predictability.
– Simplicity.
Read our full response here
CAT rejects water industry class action
The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has rejected a competition law class action, which alleged that six water companies under-reported pollution incidents (constituting an abuse of dominance). Economic Insight Director, Sam Williams, was the expert economist acting for the companies.
Economic Insight Promotions
We are delighted to announce the following promotions this year:
Natalie Luyt and Loy Chen have been promoted from Consultant to Senior Consultant.
Timothy Britain, Natalie Vriend, Johannes Boch and David Arnett have been promoted from Analyst to Consultant.
Their promotions recognise the fantastic contributions they have made to Economic Insight through their skills and ambition, and importantly their support for their colleagues and clients.
Subsidy control webinar with Bevan Brittan
Our colleagues Sam Williams, Hywel Cleverdon and Natalie Luyt will be joining Bethan Lloyd and Sally Stone of Bevan Brittan to speak at a webinar on achieving your objectives within the UK’s new subsidy control regime. The webinar will cover both a legal and economics perspective, exploring: an overview of the UK subsidy control regime; the key requirements for compliance (legal and economic); the pitfalls and risks in demonstrating compliance; and advice on seeking external support.
More information about the event, including how to register, can be found here.
Partnership with ThoughtLeaders4 Competition
We are pleased to announce that we are partnering with ThoughtLeaders4 Competition (TL4C). We look forward to working with them across a range of competition law and competition litigation initiatives over the next 12 months. More information can be found here.