#competition-and-markets-authority

#competition-and-markets-authority

Getty Images Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is to ask the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to examine the hidden costs parents may be charged by childcare providers. The Conservative government introduced 30 hours of free childcare for most working parents of three and four-year-olds in England for 38 weeks a year, and Labour extended eligibility to parents of children as young as nine months old. But ministers are concerned that families are still facing costs to secure places through demands for non-refundable deposits.

The government has named former Amazon executive Doug Gurr as its preferred candidate to become permanent chairman of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), cementing a leadership change designed to align the regulator more closely with its pro-growth agenda. Peter Kyle confirmed that Gurr, who has held the role on an interim basis since January last year, will be put forward for a full five-year term, subject to a non-binding hearing by the Commons business and trade select committee.