Brad Smith, the president of Microsoft, responded sharply on Thursday to the decision of the United Kingdom to block the acquisition of the American software giant Activision Blizzard, a deal that would become the largest in the history of Microsoft and also in the history of the gaming industry, according to Reuters.

Smith said in an interview with BBC Radio on Thursday that the decision was “probably the darkest day in the 4 decades” that the company founded by Bill Gates has been operating in the UK and that it had “shaken confidence” in Britain as a appointment. for conducting business by technology companies.

“If the UK government wants to attract big investment, if it wants to create jobs (…), it needs to take a serious look at the role of the CMA (not the UK regulator that blocked the deal), the regulatory landscape in the UK, this deal and the message, which Great Britain has just sent to the world,” he attacked.

Smith also said Microsoft had worked effectively with regulators in the European Union but not with those in London, which he said undermined Britain’s claims that it would be more attractive to business after Brexit.

He also said Microsoft answered all questions sent to the CMA about the deal and that it said it would come back with new ones, but then announced it was ending the acquisition.

“I didn’t hear anything from them, they kept quiet. The message here is clear: the European Union is a more attractive place than the UK to start a business if one day you want to sell it,” he added.

His comments drew a swift backlash from the British government, with the Prime Minister’s spokesman Rishi Sunaka saying they were “not based on fact”.

The UK government says it will continue to work “actively” with Microsoft

“We continue to believe that the UK has an extremely attractive technology sector and a growing video games market,” he stressed. “We will continue to proactively interact with Microsoft and other companies,” he assured.

Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA, said in turn that the role of the agency she leads is to ensure that the UK has a competitive business environment that allows companies to grow and prosper.

“The decision taken by the CMA is an independent decision that we have come to after considering a global assessment of the impact of this transaction on competition and we believe it is the right decision for the UK,” she added.

Cardell also cited pressure from the U.S. Trade Commission, which he said in turn called for the deal to be blocked because it harmed competition.

Microsoft has announced that it will appeal the decision, with “aggressive” support from Activision Blizzard. The appeal will be taken to the UK Commercial Court, where judges will discuss the correctness of the regulator’s decision.

Microsoft will not be able to offer new solutions during the hearing.

The Microsoft chairman’s comments came just a day after the CMA said it was blocking the acquisition announced in January and agreed to pay a historic $68.7 billion for it.