This is the third of my posts looking back at UK merger control in 2022……….

The first looked at the low overall number of cases and the second at the near disappearance of so-called ‘de minimis’ cases.

In this post I look at Phase 1 clearance cases.

Here are the figures for Phase 1 clearance cases (in which I include ‘de minimis’ decisions)…

Four points stand out –

1.In 2022 there were just 20 Phase 1 published decisions that reported unconditional clearance, by far the lowest under the CMA.

2. And most of these were in the first half of 2022. The second half saw only 7.

3. It is the fourth successive annual fall and a sharp drop from 2021.

4. And the first year that fewer CMA Phase 1 published decisions reported clearance than did not.

Which all begs the question – Where have the clearance cases gone?

More on this in future posts………..