The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) could face legal challenges after publishing its final report, which had not significantly changed since March, according to PwC.

The final recommendations from the competition watchdog’s investigation into the energy market appear not to have changed hugely since the provisional remedies published in March, despite receiving more than 70 responses from industry stakeholders, including from the big six suppliers, independents, Ofgem and the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

PwC director and head of utility strategy and regulation Stuart Cook said: “I think it’s quite surprising how little their views have shifted given the level of information they’ve been provided.

“I wouldn’t want to predict it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some legal challenges…”

Cook added: “I wouldn’t be surprised if people are saying we’ve put a lot of arguments and commentary across and it doesn’t seem to be particularly considered.”

The investigation has also received criticism from independent supplier First Utility which said the remedies “could make things worse”, and Angus MacNeil chair of the Energy and Climate Change select committee, who said the CMA was being “tepid”.