FILe PHOTO: Union Jack flags fly around the Big Ben clock tower at the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, January 14, 2019. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

LONDON, May 5 (Reuters) – Britain will give statutory powers to a new technology regulator so it can enforce pro-competition rules and prevent tech giants including Google (GOOGL.O) and Facebook (FB.O) from using their dominance to push out smaller firms and disadvantage consumers.

“The government will introduce legislation to put the Digital Markets Unit on a statutory footing in due course,” the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said in a statement on Thursday.

A spokesperson for the DCMS declined to comment when asked if legislation will be included in the government’s programme for the coming year, due to be outlined in the Queen’s Speech on May 10. read more

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