Analysis-UK’s handling of Microsoft deal sows doubts over post-Brexit direction

The long-running battle between Microsoft and Britain over the Activision Blizzard deal took another twist on Tuesday, raising more questions than answers about the country's approach to deals in the post-Brexit era. Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been locked in a dispute with the U.S. software giant over its $69 billion bid to buy the "Call of Duty" maker since it opposed the takeover in April. It had said in July, just minutes after the U.S. regulator failed in its own effort to stop the takeover in court, that it was willing to look again at the case when Microsoft returned with a "detailed and complex" proposal.