U.K. Set for Brexit Tussle With EU Over Virgin-O2 Phone Deal
- CMA says it’s ‘only right’ it gets to review U.K. tie-up
- European Commission usually takes control of phone-deal probes
A pedestrian wearing a protective face mask passes an 02 store, a unit of Telfonica SA's U.K. unit, in London.
Photographer: Simon Dawson/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Britain’s deals watchdog said it’s “only right” that it gets to review a tie-up between Liberty Global Plc and Telefonica SA in the nation, setting up a regulatory tussle with the European Union as the U.K. and EU leaders clash over their future relationship.
The Competition and Markets Authority asked the European Commission to transfer a probe into Liberty Global’s plan to merge its Virgin Media unit with Telefonica’s O2 in the U.K. The EU’s competition regulator, which normally clings on tightly to investigations of telecom deals, acknowledged the request, pushing back its deadline to rule on the deal until Nov. 19