The chair of the competition watchdog has been ousted by government ministers who have called for more focus on growth.

Marcus Bokkerink, the head of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), has been removed by the Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds.

It comes after Mr Reynolds joined the Prime Minister and Chancellor in calling for a change of approach by regulators to get the economy moving.

Mr Bokkerink, who has chaired the CMA since 2022, was among those who met the Chancellor last week to hear her demands. He will be replaced on an interim basis by Doug Gurr,  the director of the Natural History Museum and the former country manager of Amazon UK.

Sources say the response to her requests from the CMA was “underwhelming”.

Mr Bokkerink, a former senior partner at one of the world’s biggest consulting firms Boston Consulting, was appointed in 2022 by then business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng.