It is a non-ministerial government department in the United Kingdom, responsible for promoting competitive markets and tackling unfair behaviour.

[4] The CMA launched in shadow form on 1 October 2013 and began operating fully on 1 April 2014, when it assumed many of the functions of the previously existing Competition Commission and Office of Fair Trading, which were abolished.

[7] The formation of the CMA was enacted in Part 3 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013, which received royal assent on 25 April 2013.

[18][19] On 21 January 2025, Marcus Bokkerink resigned from the post of chair of the CMA, after disagreements with government ministers on how to drive growth, prosperity and opportunity for the UK.

Bokkerink advocated an approach that focused on empowering consumers to make choices, fostering competition, creating a level playing field for challegers as well as incumbents, and creating the conditions for the resulting innovation, productivity growth and investment to diffuse across the economy, safeguarded by an independent competition and consumer protection authority.