EXCLUSIVE — The United Kingdom is preparing to designate Apple and Google as holding a “strategic market advantage” over other tech companies under its new Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumers Act, even as Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his government engage in trade discussions with the Trump administration.

The announcement could come as soon as next week, according to sources familiar with the plans, and will likely subject both companies to new government fines and tailored regulations. The U.K. government’s Competition and Markets Authority opened investigations into Apple and Google in January of this year, marking them as the first American firms to be labeled as holding “strategic market status” under DMCC.

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