The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened its phase 1 investigation into the merger in May. At the end of June, the companies requested a ‘fast track’ referral to the next stage of the investigation.

The CMA believes that in more than 350 local areas where there is currently an overlap between Tesco shops and Booker-supplied ‘symbol’ stores, shoppers could face worse terms when buying their groceries.

There are concerns that, after the merger, there is potential for Booker to reduce the wholesale services or terms it offers the ‘symbol’ stores it currently supplies, in order to drive customers to their local Tesco.

Other concerns were raised and considered in the CMA’s phase 1 investigation but the CMA has not found it necessary to conclude on all of these concerns given the ‘fast track’ referral.

The investigation will now pass to a new set of decision makers – an inquiry group chosen from the CMA’s independent panel members.

This group will assess whether the deal could reduce competition by conducting further research and analysis as well as seeking views and evidence from all those potentially affected by the merger.

The statutory timetable for the in-depth phase 2 investigation is 24 weeks, which means the final report will be published before Christmas – following an earlier provisional findings report.

The CMA’s referral decision will be published shortly on the case page along with all other information relating to the investigation.

Notes for editors

1. A ‘symbol’ store is an independent grocery retailer, operating under the Premier, Londis, Budgens or Family Shopper brands, supplied by the grocery wholesaler Booker.

2. Tesco operates more than 3,000 stores across the UK. Booker supplies services to over 5,000 ‘symbol’ stores.

3. The CMA is the UK’s primary competition and consumer authority. It is an independent non-ministerial government department with responsibility for carrying out investigations into mergers, markets and the regulated industries and enforcing competition and consumer law. For CMA updates, follow us on Twitter @CMAgovuk, Facebook, Flickr and LinkedIn.

4. Under the Enterprise Act 2002 (the Act) the CMA has a duty to make a reference to phase 2 if the CMA believes that it is or may be the case that a relevant merger situation has been created, or arrangements are in progress or in contemplation which, if carried into effect, will result in the creation of a relevant merger situation; and the creation of that situation has resulted, or may be expected to result, in a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in the United Kingdom for goods or services.

5. For a case to be fast-tracked to phase 2, the CMA must have evidence in its possession that it believes objectively justifies a belief that the test for reference is met and the notifying parties must have requested and given consent for use of the procedure. In addition to considering whether the case meets those criteria, the CMA will in deciding whether to utilise the fast track process have regard to its administrative resources and the efficient conduct of the case.

6. Under the Act a relevant merger situation is created if 2 or more enterprises have ceased to be distinct enterprises; and the value of the turnover in the United Kingdom of the enterprise being taken over exceeds £70 million (‘the turnover test’) or as a result of the transaction, in relation to the supply of goods or services of any description, a 25% share of supply in the United Kingdom (or a substantial part thereof) is created or enhanced (‘the share of supply test’).

7. All the CMA’s functions in phase 2 merger inquiries are performed by inquiry groups chosen from the CMA’s independent panel members. The appointed inquiry group is the decision-maker on phase 2 inquiries. The CMA’s panel members come from a variety of backgrounds, including economics, law, accountancy and/or business. The membership of an inquiry group usually reflects a mix of expertise and experience (including industry experience).

8. Media enquiries to the CMA should be directed to press@cma.gsi.gov.uk or 020 3738 6798.

The contaminated blood scandal of the 1970s and 80s is an appalling tragedy which should simply never have happened.

Thousands of patients expected the world-class care our NHS is famous for, but they were failed.

At least 2,400 people died and thousands more were exposed to Hepatitis C and HIV, with life-changing consequences.

The victims and their families who have suffered so much pain and hardship deserve answers as to how this could possibly have happened.

While this government has invested record amounts to support the victims, they have been denied those answers for too long and I want to put that right.

As Prime Minister, I am determined to stand up for victims and confront injustice and unfairness in our society at every turn.

We will work with the victims and their families to decide what form this inquiry should take so their voices are heard and they finally get the answers and justice they have spent decades waiting for.

On Thursday 13 July 2017, Public Health England will launch its first ever ‘Health Profile for England’.

On Tuesday 11 July 2017, the UK hosted a major international summit on family planning, in partnership with UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Summit brought together leaders from around the world to work together to remove barriers to family planning services so that voluntary, modern contraception can be offered to many more millions of women in the world’s poorest countries across Africa and Asia.

International Development Secretary Priti Patel gave a key note speech, alongside Natalia Kanem, acting head of UNFPA, and Melinda Gates.

Ms Patel set out that the UK Government would boost and extend its annual support for family planning around the world until 2022.

In addition, the UK ‎will be focusing its efforts on eliminating the stigma, cost and access issues associated with family planning, by supporting innovative technology, helping fix issues in supply chains so contraceptives make it onto the shelves and reach more women in emergency settings.

The UK will support millions more women with family planning to overcome the following issues:

• There is no choice of contraceptives – the UK is supportive the roll out and scaling of the first new self-injectable contraceptive – Sayana Press – in a decade‎. This new self-injectable is already transforming the lives of women in four pilot countries – Uganda, Senegal, Burkino Faso and Niger. Now with the UK’s support, Sayana Press will be available for more women in the world’s countries.
• Women cannot afford the contraceptives they want‎ – the UK, through the World Bank, will encourage governments in developing countries to fund their own family planning systems which will, for example, allow women in Nigeria to access family planning free of charge for the first time.
• Women living in a emergency setting – the UK will be demanding more from its humanitarian partners and supporting them to improve access to family planning services for refugees‎.
• Contraceptives don’t make it onto the shelves‎ – the UK will support the new Visibility & Analytics Networks – a data monitoring system formed by a coalition of ‎partners – to map what contraceptives are needed and where. This will bolster the efforts of the UNFPA to get contraceptives where they are needed, when they are needed.
• Social taboos – the UK will support the new ‘SRHR Connect’ programme which will address barriers facing women who want family planning, including addressing the stigma that stops women accessing family planning services.

The international development secretary called on governments, civil society and businesses to build on the progress from the summit, to do more to increase the availability and drive down prices of family planning services in developing countries.

The UK, through its Department for International Development today announced its new Family Planning by Choice programme, which will provide £90 million of support for voluntary family planning in Ethiopia over the next four years.

The programme will work with the Federal Ministry of Health to give millions of women access to modern, voluntary family planning services across the country.

The programme aims to:

• Provide 13 million women with direct access to family planning information;

• Support 6 million current family planning users and attract three million more voluntary users;

• Prevent 15 million unwanted pregnancies and 300,000 maternal child deaths.

The programme will:

• Enable over 3,000 health facilities, mostly rural health centres, to provide quality family planning services;

• Establish 100 Quality Assurance Hubs at referral and general hospitals; and,

• Establish 10 family planning Centres of Excellence at teaching hospitals.

By providing family planning choices for everyone who wants it, Ethiopia will be able to: increase women’s voice, choice and control over their reproductive health; slow down population growth; and enhance economic growth.

This programme is part of the UK’s global leadership on family planning, and was announced as part of a package of UK support around the world at the London Family Planning Summit on 11 July 2017.

The Summit, co-hosted by the UK Secretary of State for International Development, Priti Patel, Melinda Gates (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) and Natalia Kanem (UN Population Fund – UNFPA), looked at practical measures to reduce costs and increase availability for the millions of women who want contraception, but can’t afford it or get hold of it.

Speaking about the new UK support for family planning world-wide, the Secretary of State for International Development, Priti Patel said:

It’s truly astonishing that in today’s world there are still 214 million women around the world who do not want to get pregnant, but who are not currently using modern methods of family planning.

Britain is leading the world on sexual and reproductive health, helping millions more women in the world’s poorest countries to access and use desperately-needed family planning services.

But this isn’t a job for the UK alone and that’s why at this global Summit governments from around the world have come together to make commitments on family planning to address the long term need and unsustainable population growth.

We are supporting the world’s poorest women to take control of their lives, so they can finish their education, get better jobs and in turn provide for their smaller, planned families rather than being trapped in a cycle of grinding poverty through unplanned pregnancies.

Notes to editors:

• Ethiopia has made significant progress in increasing modern family planning uptake, nearly one-in-three women in Ethiopia are now using modern family planning methods, compared to less than one-in-thirty 25 years ago.

• Despite this progress, Ethiopia’s population has doubled in the last 25 years, from around 50 million in 1991 to 102 million in 2016. If the current fertility trend continues, the country’s population is likely to double again in the next 35 years, which could undermine Ethiopia’s ambition to reach middle income status by 2025.

• Three and half million (one-in-five) married women of reproductive age are currently not using contraception, but wish to postpone their next birth, or stop childbearing altogether. This programme will enable these women to use family planning.

• The public health service delivers four-fifths of family planning services.