Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had discussions with the Competition and Markets Authority on a potential merger between ASDA and EG Group.

Under competition law, the independent Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is responsible for investigating the impact of mergers and acquisitions on competition. The Secretary of State for Business and Trade is therefore not involved with specific cases. The Government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers and expertise to investigate the benefits and risks of mergers in relation to competition within the UK.